Homogeneously supported PtGa NPs on nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon as an enhanced ORR electro-catalyst

•PtGa@NMC catalyst is obtained by solvothermal reduction on NMC substrate.•PtGa@NMC exhibits excellent ORR activity and stability in alkaline electrolyte.•The porous NMC carrier can improve the ORR performances of PtGa alloy nanoparticles. Platinum (Pt) nanoparticle catalysts show excellent performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but the high cost of Pt directly limits the commercialization of Pt-based catalysts. Supported PtGa alloy nanoparticles (NPs) with modified surface property and reactivity through ligand, strain and/or ensemble effects are considered as promising inexpensive low-Pt candidates. In this article, we report a PtGa nanoparticles with a size of 3.8 ± 0.4 nm anchored on nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon (PtGa@NMC) for an efficient ORR electrocatalyst in alkaline electrolytes. The half-wave potential (E1/2) values of PtGa@NMC (0.92 V vs RHE) positively shift ~30 mV compared to commercial Pt/C in 1 M KOH solution. And it has outstanding long-term durability by the result of accelerated durability tests (ADTs) and chronoamperometry (CA). Considering high performance and excellent stability, PtGa@NMC presents the possibility of replacing contemporary Pt-based catalysts.