Single atom surface engineering: A new strategy to boost electrochemical activities of Pt catalysts

Pt-based catalysts are widely applied in several catalytic electrochemical reactions for energy storage and conversion. The improvement of specific activity of Pt is typically achieved by introducing the transition metal to obtain the alloy structure. Different from the traditional alloy structure, herein, we report Pt catalyst modified with Co single atoms obtained by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The as-prepared catalysts show much higher mass activity and excellent stability compared to commercial Pt/C catalysts towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The atomic resolution TEM images and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) indicate the formation of atomically dispersed Co on Pt. First principle calculations reveal that the Co atom affects the electronic structure of the Pt catalysts, which resulted in the high HER and ORR performance. This work provides a new approach for the rational design of highly active and stable Pt-based catalysts, which hold great potential for application in various catalytic reactions.