Preparation of porous PtAuCu@Pt core-shell catalyst for application to oxygen reduction

[Display omitted] •Effective preparation of porous PtAuCu@Pt core-shell with high ORR performance was suggested.•Best performed PtAuCu@Pt exhibited 4.2 times higher specific activity than Pt/C.•The presence of Au was beneficial for enhancing ORR activity and durability. Designing a Pt-based catalyst with high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance is very important for the improvement of the economic feasibility of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Herein, we suggest a method to prepare a Pt-based core-shell catalyst with high ORR activity and durability by galvanic displacement between Cu on a thermally annealed sample of (PtxAuy)1Cu5/C-HT and Pt ions. The resultant catalysts ((PtxAuy)1Cu5@Pt/C) showed a porous core–shell structure with a Pt-enriched surface. The composition of (PtxAuy)1Cu5/C-HT influenced the physical properties of the resultant (PtxAuy)1Cu5@Pt/C catalysts. (PtxAuy)1Cu5@Pt/C catalysts exhibited better ORR performance than a commercial Pt/C one and their performance varied with the composition. Among the catalysts examined, (Pt1Au0.1)1Cu5@Pt/C showed the best ORR activity. Specifically, it delivered a mass and specific activity of 0.660mA/mgPGM and 1506.2mA/cm2Pt at 0.9V (vs. RHE), respectively. These are 2.7 and 4.2 times higher than corresponding values obtained for Pt/C. In an accelerated degradation test, addition of Au proved beneficial for the design of a highly durable catalyst. The effect of the Au content on the physical properties and ORR performance of catalysts was interpreted in detail.