Pt/Co Alloy Nanoparticles Prepared by Nanocapsule Method Exhibit a High Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity in the Alkaline Media

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts are one of the main topics for fuel cells and metal/air batteries. We found that the platinum-cobalt alloy nanoparticles prepared by our original nanocapsule method exhibited a high ORR catalytic activity in alkaline solution, compared with that of the existing alloy nanoparticles prepared by different methods. The effect of alloy composition on the ORR activity was investigated to find the optimum composition (approximately 40 atom %). We also found that the enhancement of the catalytic activity in alkaline solution appeared in a very narrow range of Co content compared with that in acidic solution.