Pt@h-BN core–shell fuel cell electrocatalysts with electrocatalysis confined under outer shells

  • Mengmeng Sun
  • Jinchao Dong
  • Yang Lv
  • Siqin Zhao
  • Caixia Meng
  • Yujiang Song
  • Guoxiong Wang
  • Jianfeng Li
  • Qiang Fu
  • Zhongqun Tian
  • Xinhe Bao
Research Article
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Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) can be used as robust and flexible encapsulation overlayers, which effectively protect metal cores but allow reactions to occur between inner cores and outer shells. Here, we demonstrate this concept by showing that Pt@h-BN core–shell nanocatalysts present enhanced performances in H2/O2 fuel cells. Electrochemical (EC) tests combined with operando EC-Raman characterizations were performed to monitor the reaction process and its intermediates, which confirm that Pt-catalyzed electrocatalytic processes happen under few-layer h-BN covers. The confinement effect of the h-BN shells prevents Pt nanoparticles from aggregating and helps to alleviate the CO poisoning problem. Accordingly, embedding nanocatalysts within ultrathin 2D material shells can be regarded as an effective route to design high-performance electrocatalysts.

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Keywords

electrocatalysis two-dimensional materials core–shell confinement catalysis operando Raman 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21688102, 91545204, 21522508, and 21621063), Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Nos. 2016YFA0200200 and 2017YFB0602205), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. XDB17020200), DICP DMTO201502, and DICP&QIBEBT UN201707.

Supplementary material

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Pt@h-BN core–shell fuel cell electrocatalysts with electrocatalysis confined under outer shells

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Copyright information

© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  • Mengmeng Sun
    • 1
    • 2
  • Jinchao Dong
    • 3
  • Yang Lv
    • 4
  • Siqin Zhao
    • 1
    • 2
  • Caixia Meng
    • 1
    • 2
  • Yujiang Song
    • 4
  • Guoxiong Wang
    • 1
  • Jianfeng Li
    • 3
  • Qiang Fu
    • 1
  • Zhongqun Tian
    • 3
  • Xinhe Bao
    • 1
  1. 1.State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, iChEM, Dalian Institute of Chemical PhysicsChinese Academy of SciencesDalianChina
  2. 2.University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
  3. 3.MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen UniversityXiamenChina
  4. 4.State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical EngineeringDalian University of TechnologyDalianChina

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