Team reports a high performance nanoparticle electrocatalyst
Tuesday, December 8, 2015 - 07:40
in Physics & Chemistry
Scientists operating out of IBS' Center for Nanoparticle Research have reported highly durable and active intermetallic platinum-iron (PtFe) nanoparticles (NPs) coated with nitrogen (N) doped carbon shell. Precision sized face centered tetragonal (fct) PtFe NPs, only a few nanometers thick, are formed by thermal annealing at 700oC, resulting in a carbon outer layer which protects the NPs from detachment and dissolution throughout the harsh fuel cell operating conditions. The N-doped carbon shell not only prevents the amalgamation of the NPs during a thermal annealing process to keep their sizes as small as 6.5 nm but also protects them under the harsh operating condition.