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Deviations from commercially accepted Pt electrocatalysts have been widely investigated in order to improve activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) within polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). For this research, PtNi bimetallic catalysts were synthesized with the particular focus of producing novel octahedral structures, which have theoretically exhibited a specific activity up to 90 times larger than Pt counterparts. With a predetermined molar ratio of Pt3Ni1, the bimetallic catalyst of interest was synthesized through a unique solid-state procedure, and the existence of octahedral structures were confirmed through Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). When tested through cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry against Pt/C and Pt3Ni1/Graphene, the Pt3Ni1/C catalyst exhibited the highest specific activity (SA), while maintaining a strong electrochemical surface area (ECSA). Through accelerated durability testing (ADT) over 4,000 cycles, the Pt3Ni1 catalyst experienced noticeable degradation, leaving room for further improvement of this particular catalyst. However, this research was able to successfully produce highly active Pt3Ni1 octahedral structures through a novel solid-state method, which offers increased potential in practical fuel cell applications. |
