Active Pt3Ni (111) Surface of Pt3Ni Icosahedron for Oxygen Reduction.

Highly active, durable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts are extremely important for fuel cell applications. Herein, we provide an efficient way to synthesis of activity Pt3M icosahedra by the one-pot hydrothermal method in the presence of glucosamine which can well adjust the reduction rate of Pt4+ and efficiently control the morphology of final catalysts. Compared to Pt/C, the Pt3Ni icosahedra show 32-fold and 12-fold enhancement in specific and mass activity, respectively. Furthermore, robust durability was also observed in the accelerated durability test. Thus, this Pt3Ni icosahedron is found among the best Pt-based ORR catalysts, moreover, the findings also demonstrate how to mimic active extended surfaces in nanoscale.