The Effect of Pretreatment on a PtCu/C Catalyst’s Structure and Functional Characteristics

This research focuses on studying the effects of various pretreatment types on a PtCu/C catalyst synthesized by the co-deposition of metal precursors. The treatment in a 1 M HNO3 solution for 1 h is shown to result in a slight increase in activity in the oxygen electroreduction reaction (both the mass activity and specific activity calculated for the value of the electrochemically active surface area). The sample obtained after the thermal treatment, which is carried out at 350 °C under an argon atmosphere for 1 h, demonstrates 1.7 times higher specific activity than the sample before the treatment. The durability testing results obtained by the stress testing method in a potential range of 0.6–1.4 V during 2000 cycles show that the PtCu/C catalysts after both the acid treatment and the thermal treatment are characterized by higher residual activity than the sample in the “as-prepared” state.