(50c) Novel Pt/TixM1-xO2 Nanocatalysts for Fuel Cells

This work presents a new approach by exploring robust non-carbon Ti_xM_1-xO₂ as a novel functionalized co-catalytic support for Pt. This new approach is based on the novel nanostructure of the Ti_xM_1-xO₂ supports which holds strong metal-support interactions (SMSI) between Ti_xM_1-xO₂ and Pt that can not only modify surface electronic structure of Pt, evidenced from a shift in the d-band centre of the surface Pt atoms but also provide dual reaction sites for methanol oxidation. Furthermore, another benefit of Ti_xM_1-xO₂ is the extremely high stability of Pt/ v during potential cycling, which is attributable to the SMSI between Pt and Ti_xM_1-xO₂. Interestingly, Ti_xM_1-xO₂ can be fabricated as a much thinner catalyst layer, resulting in significantly improved the mass transport kinetics and performance of the resulting membrane-electrode-assembly (MEA).The new approach presented in this work opens a reliable path to the discovery of advanced concepts that may lead to the design of new catalyst materials that can replace the traditional catalytic structures and motivate further research in this field.