How PM2.5 Affects Pt-Catalyzed Oxygen Reduction Reaction

• Published in: ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering 2020-06, Vol.8 (25), p.9385-9392
• Main Authors: Gan, Jie, Hao, Chunyu, Guo, Jianing, Chen, Wenyao, Cao, Yueqiang, Luo, Wei, Huang, Zikun, Xiang, Zhonghua, Duan, Xuezhi, Zhou, Xinggui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2168-0485; 2168-0485
• DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c02048

The particulate matter of size less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) in haze not only affects human health but also reduces the efficiency of fuel cells. Herein, we report for the first time the underlying nature of the effects of representative water-soluble ions in simulated PM2.5 pollutions on the Pt/C-catalyzed oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acid media by combining simulated experiments, Tafel kinetics with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The Cl– ion is discriminated as the major obstacle for the O2 adsorption and reduction, which are correlated with both the catalyst active site blocking and negative electronic property. The adsorbed Cl– also leads to the change in the rate-determining step from the formation of OOH* to the protonation of O*, since it has an excessively weakening ability for the adsorption and protonation of the oxygen-containing reaction intermediates. These insights could guide the rational design and engineering of Pt/C ORR catalysts with the higher antipoisoning ability of PM2.5.