High-Performance Pd3Pb Intermetallic Catalyst for Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction

Extensive efforts to develop highly active and strongly durable electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction are motivated by a need for metal-air batteries and fuel cells. Here, we report a very promising catalyst prototype of structurally ordered Pd-based alloys, Pd3Pb intermetallic compound. Such structurally ordered Pd3Pb/C exhibits a significant increase in mass activity. More importantly, compared to the conventional Pt/C catalysts, ordered Pd3Pb/C is highly durable and exhibits a much longer cycle life and higher cell efficiency in Zn-air batteries. Interestingly, ordered Pd3Pb/C possesses very high methanol tolerance during electrochemical oxygen reduction, which make it an excellent methanol-tolerant cathode catalyst for alkaline polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. This study provides a promising route to optimize the synthesis of ordered Pd-based intermetallic catalysts for fuel cells and metal-air batteries.