Sulfur-anchored Joule heating synthesis of ultrasmall nanoalloys to enhance oxygen electroreduction

Abstract

Pt-based alloy catalysts have been recognized as appealing candidates for the oxygen reduction reaction, yet still suffering from the serious particle sintering and poor size uniformity. Here, we developed a sulfur-anchored Joule heating strategy to prepare PtCo alloy with an average particle size of only 2.9 nm. The strong interaction between metal and S favored the stabilization of S onto the carbon supports, contributing to the uniform distribution of PtCo nanoparticles. The obtained PtCo nanoparticles exhibited an electrochemically active area of 78.5 m 2 g Pt -1 and a half-wave potential of 0.941 V vs. RHE, significantly higher than commercial Pt/C.