Synthesis of Nanosize Tungsten Oxide and Its Evaluation as an Electrocatalyst Support for Oxygen Reduction in Acid Media

WO3 was investigated as a possible support material for monolayer Pt ORR electrocatalysts in acid electrolyte. It was found that as-prepared Pt/WO3 showed enhanced activity for the ORR and superior electron transfer ability compared to conventional Pt/C and bulk polycrystalline Pt. However, similar to other tungsten derived supports, most notably WC, the Pt/WO3 electrocatalyst showed significant performance degradation that was tied directly to the formation of water-soluble hydrogen tungsten bronze (HxWO3) on the support surface that was identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This information, combined with previous work by our group on WC supports, combined to propose a series degradation pathway for WC and WO3 supports in acid media, which is relevant for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells.