Fe@Pt core-shell nanoparticles as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in acidic media

To settle the drawbacks of non-cost-effective and enhance the electrocatalytic performance of Pt/C, Fe@Pt core-shell nanoparticles supported by Vulcan XC-72 have been designed and synthetized successfully. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, whereas the electrochemical analyses were obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. Results suggest that the onset potential of oxygen reduction reaction on the Fe@Pt/C is about 0.6 V (vs. Hg/Hg2Cl2) in O-2-saturated 0.5 M H2SO4, which shifts positively more than 30 mV compared with that of Pt/C. The corresponding electron transfer number is 4, meaning the reduction reaction mainly occurred through a 4-electron pathway. More importantly, the Fe@Pt/C has an excellent stability and better catalytic performance towards oxygen reduction reaction activity compared with Pt/C. Thus, Fe@Pt/C could be utilized as promising cathode catalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells.