Surface design of non-Platinum based alloys for fuel cell electrode and improvements of catalytic performance

合金最外表面的原子设计是实现燃料电池阴极氧还原催化剂高活性和高稳定性的关键。因此，精确控制电极材料表面的原子排列是必不可少的。在这项研究中，我们制作定义明确的表面合金，通过使用分子束外延（MBE）通过Pt和Ni沉积，分别到Au和Pd单晶衬底和评估电化学性能，特别是氧还原反应活性，模型催化剂。

Atomic design of alloy's outermost surfaces is a key to achieve high activity and stability of cathode electrode catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells. Therefore, precise control of atomic arrangements of electrode material surfaces is indispensable. In this study, we fabricate well-defined surface alloys by using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) through Pt- and Ni-depositions, respectively, onto Au and Pd single-crystal substrates and evaluate electrochemical properties, particularly oxygen reduction reaction activities, of the model catalysts.