Gram-scale synthesis of Pt-Co core-shell catalyst and its improved performance in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

To realize the development and industrialization of fuel cells, it is urgent to adopt an efficient and simple preparation method to improve the performance of catalysts. In this paper, a simple catalyst preparation method is used to achieve the efficient preparation of high-performance Pt-Co@Pt/C core-shell catalysts. The single preparation yields can easily reach tens of grams. The particle size of catalysts is in the optimal range of 3–5 nm. The catalyst with core-shell structure is obtained by acid treatment (AT) and heat treatment (HT), where obvious Pt shell is formed on the surface. The activity of catalyst after acid treatment (Pt-Co@Pt/C-AT) and heat treatment (Pt-Co@Pt/C-HT) is 4.9 times and 3.7 times higher that of Pt/C. After the accelerated durability test (ADT), the half-wave potentials of Pt-Co@Pt/C-AT and Pt-Co@Pt/C-HT only shift 22 mV and 6 mV, which is far less than that of Pt/C (47 mV). In single-cell tests, the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) prepared by Pt-Co@Pt/C-HT has a maximum power density of 1.17W/cm2, which is 10.12% higher than that of Pt/C (Johnson Matthey). The improvement of preparation efficiency and comprehensive performance indicates that the catalyst is expected to be put into practical application of fuel cell.