Cited by 232Electrocatalysts for Energy ConversionCatalytic Processes in Materials ScienceFuel Cells and Related Materials

Electronic metal-support interaction enhanced oxygen reduction activity and stability of boron carbide supported platinum

Open access
Jackson, Colleen, Smith, Graham T., Inwood, David W., Leach, Andrew S., Whalley, Penny S., Callisti, Mauro, Polcar, Tomas, Russell, Andrea E. +2 more·2017·Nature Communications

Abstract

Catalysing the reduction of oxygen in acidic media is a standing challenge. Although activity of platinum, the most active metal, can be substantially improved by alloying, alloy stability remains a concern. Here we report that platinum nanoparticles supported on graphite-rich boron carbide show a 50–100% increase in activity in acidic media and improved cycle stability compared to commercial carbon supported platinum nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy and x-ray absorption fine structure analysis confirm similar platinum nanoparticle shapes, sizes, lattice parameters, and cluster packing on both supports, while x-ray photoelectron and absorption spectroscopy demonstrate a change in electronic structure. This shows that purely electronic metal-support interactions can significantly improve oxygen reduction activity without inducing shape, alloying or strain effects and without compromising stability. Optimizing the electronic interaction between the catalyst and support is, therefore, a promising approach for advanced electrocatalysts where optimizing the catalytic nanoparticles themselves is constrained by other concerns.

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Crossref · 10.1038/ncomms15802

Cites

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  • A tiny peak shift in the Pt 4f core-level XPS spectrum is evidence of the electronic modification of the Pt 5d band by either charge transfer or alloy formation with the support.

    “A tiny peak shift in the Pt 4f core-level XPS spectrum is evidence of the electronic modification of the Pt 5d band by either charge transfer or alloy formation with the support.72,76,77”

    From Highly Dispersed Pt Clusters on F-Doped Tin(IV) Oxide Aerogel Matrix: An Ultra-Robust Hybrid Catalyst for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution (2022) · cites this paper as [72]

    The Results sections on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electronic metal-support interaction report a ~0.6 eV Pt 4f shift and interpret it as evidence of changed electronic occupancy associated with charge transfer. The paper initially considers alloy formation as an alternative, but reports no evidence for it and assigns the observed shift to purely electronic effects. It discusses Pt d-band occupancy separately using XANES, so the XPS shift alone does not establish the full claim. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Electronic metal support interaction (EMSI) through the charge transfer phenomenon comes into effect.

    “electronic metal support interaction (EMSI) through the charge transfer phenomenon comes into effect.71,72”

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Stamenkovic V.. Improved oxygen reduction activity on Pt3Ni(111) via increased surface site availability. Science 315, 493– 497 (2007). 17218494
  2. Mukerjee S., Srinivasan S. & Soriaga M. P. Role of structural and electronic properties of Pt and Pt alloys on electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction. J. Electrochem. Soc. 142, 1409 (1995).

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Authors
Jackson, C., Smith, G. T., Inwood, D. W., Leach, A. S., Whalley, P. S., Callisti, M., Polcar, T., Russell, A. E., Levecque, P., & Kramer, D.
Affiliations
  • University of Cape Town (ZA)
  • University of Southampton (GB)
Corresponding author
Kramer, Denis
Venue
Nature Communications
Published
2017-06-22
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
15802-15802
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2618879542
Cited by
231
References
70
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 4
FWCI
5.86
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Diamond Light Source
  • Royal Society (NA140367)
  • Newcastle University
  • Paul Scherrer Institut
  • University of Cape Town
  • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/J016454/1, EP/F034296/1, EP/K040375/1, EP/J013501/1, EP/J016454/)
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/N002385/1, ST/K00171X/1)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
  • Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Catalytic Processes in Materials Science
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Fuel Cells and Related Materials
Keywords
oxygen reduction reaction, platinum nanoparticles, metal-support interaction, electronic structure, electrocatalyst stability, acidic media, platinum alloying

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