WN enhanced metal-N-C platform for ultra-stable Pt oxygen reduction electrocatalyst in fuel cell

Abstract

The widespread deployment of proton exchange membrane fuel cells is hindered by the “catalysis trilemma” of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which demands simultaneous high activity, exceptional durability and low cost. To overcome this longstanding bottleneck, we propose a universal tungsten nitride (WN) enhanced metal-N-C platform, where WN synergizes with metal-N_x sites to create a robust and electronically modulated support for Pt catalysts. This dual-anchoring and synergistic-catalyzing architecture not only effectively suppresses Pt nanoparticle migration and dissolution but also optimizes Pt activity, thereby accelerating ORR kinetics and enhancing structural integrity. As a prototypical example, the Pt/WN-Fe-N-C catalyst delivers a remarkable peak power density of 1.85 W/cm² at an ultralow cathode Pt loading of 0.05 mg-_Pt/cm² and retains 91.1% peak power density after 90000 accelerated durability test cycles with 4 mV voltage loss at 0.80 A/cm²-significantly exceeding the U.S. DOE 2030 targets. This work establishes a generalizable materials design strategy to break the activity-stability-cost trade-off in fuel cell catalysis.