Metal sites in state-of-the-art carbon nitride-based low-Pt electrocatalyst for low temperature fuel cell

A XAS experiment is proposed on a new family of Pt-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in low-T fuel cell. This family exhibits a hierarchical core−shell support, wherein a carbon nitride shell stabilizes the catalyst sites in unique coordination nests. The catalyst is in form of Pt-Ni alloy clusters (size 1-5 nm), and the specific synthesis procedure ensures exceptional performances, since the strong catalyst-support interactions, likely mediated by N atoms, inhibit the leaching of metal species and particle agglomeration during operation. The aim is to measure the local order around the metal catalyst, characterizing both the nanoalloy and the cluster-matrix interaction, as a function of the Pt fraction and of the synthesis conditions (easily scalable for industrial fabrication), to understand how it is related to the ORRs performance.