Structurally ordered PtFe intermetallic embedded in N-doped carbon as a highly active and durable electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

The structurally ordered PtM with surface coating layers strategy has drawn increasing attention. In this work, we synthesize a structurally ordered PtFe@NC-X-PDA catalyst modified with nitrogen-doped carbon coating layers by confined space annealing strategy. Compared with the current commercial Pt/C catalyst, the structurally ordered PtFe@NC-X-PDA catalyst shows better catalytic activity and stability. Especially, the mass activity and specific activity of the synthesized PtFe@NC-0.06-PDA sample with the optimized poly-dopamine feeding mass content (0.06 g) exhibit 9.95 and 11.53 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst. In addition, after 20,000 CV cycles, the PtFe@NC-0.06-PDA sample achieves the minimum activity loss (7%). The PtFe alloy catalyst with the different thickness NC shell (PtFe@NC-X-PDA) possesses the enhanced ORR activity and stability owing to the protection of nitrogen carbon shell (NC) and the strong electronic interaction of the ordered PtFe NPs. The improved ORR activity and stability of the structurally ordered PtFe@NC-X-PDA catalyst provide a promising direction for the development of fuel cells. © 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC