Stability of nanostructured Pt/glassy carbon electrodes prepared by colloidal lithography

• The stability of nanostructured Pt/glassy carbon (GC) model electrodes upon exposure to a realistic electrochemical/electrocatalytic reaction environment (continuous reaction, continuous electrolyte flow) was studied by microscopic techniques, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical measurements. The model electrodes consist of Pt nanostructures with well-defined sizes and regular spacing on planar GC substrates, and were fabricated using colloidal lithography techniques. Additional plasma treatments of the GC substrates prior to Pt deposition were tested to improve the stability of the resulting Pt/GC model electrodes. Both evaporation and sputter deposition were used for Pt-film fabrication. The model catalysts prepared by Pt evaporation were found to be rather unstable. The stability was significantly improved for sputter-deposited Pt films, and Pt sputter deposition on a GC substrate, pretreated first in oxygen plasma and then in Ar plasma, resulted in stable model electrodes with a fully intact layer of Pt nanostructures after the electrocatalytic experiments.

Nyckelord

co monolayer oxidation

rotating-disk electrode

planar model

catalysts

fuel-cell catalyst

high-surface-area

glassy-carbon

platinum dissolution

pt-ru

electrooxidation

dems

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