Pt-Ni Thin-Film Catalyst for the Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction under Alkaline Conditions

Improving the catalysts of the hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR)in alkaline conditions is necessary for developing anion exchangemembrane fuel cells as alternatives to conventional proton-exchange-membranefuel cells. Previous studies have demonstrated Pt catalyst improvementby forming coordinatively saturated surface sites (i.e., plane surfaces)as well as by combining Pt with other metals. In this study, Pt-Nithin-film catalysts, which exhibited an enhanced activity comparedto Pt monometal thin-film and nanoparticle catalysts, were preparedby a pulsed arc plasma method. Additionally, the prepared catalystswere heated to form Pt-Ni alloy catalysts with further improvedactivity. Thus, Pt-Ni alloy thin films were demonstrated ashighly active structures in an alkaline HOR.