Improvement of Pt nanoparticle catalysts for fuel cell applications by ion irradiation; Influence of glassy carbon substrate irradiated with Ar ions

Kimata, Tetsuya*; Kato, Sho*; Yamaki, Tetsuya; Yamamoto, Shunya; Hakoda, Teruyuki; Kobayashi, Tomohiro*; Suzuki, Akihiro*; Terai, Takayuki*

Platinum (Pt) nanoparticles prepared by ion implantation in a glassy carbon (GC) substrate exhibited high activity and durability as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst. This result would originate from chemical and electronic interaction between the Pt atoms at the particle surface and the lattice defects in the GC substrate introduced by the ion implantation. In this study, therefore, we sputtered Pt nanoparticles on the Ar-ion-irradiated GC substrate and then investigated their catalytic activity and electronic structure in terms of the effects of the irradiation defects in the substrate. The Ar-ion irradiation of the GC substrate was found to improve the ORR activity in an acid solution and to promote the formation of the Pt-C bonding at the interface.