A highly stable TiB2-supported Pt catalyst for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Pt nanoparticles supported on TiB2 conductive ceramics (Pt/TiB2) have been prepared through a liquid reduction method, where the TiB2 surfaces are stabilized with perfluorosulfonic acid. The prepared Pt/TiB2 catalyst is characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and TEM techniques, and a rotating disk electrode (RDE) apparatus. The Pt nanoparticles are found to uniformly disperse on the surface of the TiB2 particles with narrow size distribution. The electrochemical stability of Pt/TiB2 is evaluated and found highly electrochemically stable compared to a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Meanwhile, the catalyst also shows comparable performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to the Pt/C. The mechanism of the remarkable stability and comparable activity for ORR on Pt/TiB2 is also proposed and discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.