Oxygen reduction reaction kinetics of platinum-based catalysts under stress induction

Abstract

The ORR kinetic optimization for PtNi and PtPb catalysts is conferred by stress induction. First principles calculation shows the cleavage barrier reduction of the key intermediate *OOH to 28.48 and 0 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Proper kinetic tuning led to a mass activity promotion of PtNi to 3.57 times that of Pt/C, whereas excessive modulation induced activity degradation for PtPb and shifted the rate-determining step to the first electron transfer, which was verified by in situ infrared spectroscopy and electrochemical characterization.