Ni2P as an electron donor stabilizing Pt for highly efficient isopropanol fuel cell

Abstract A key challenge for isopropanol fuel cell is to find efficient catalyst for the catalytic ability improvement of isopropanol electro-oxidation reaction. Here, we anchor Pt nanoparticles on the Ni2P/resin carbon (RC) to form a Pt–Ni2P/RC assembly. Strong interactions at Ni2P–Pt interface induce the Ni2P to donate electrons to stabilize Pt, thus effectively decreasing the adsorbed energy of isopropanol. As a result, Pt–Ni2P/RC exhibits much higher mass activity and better stability than those of Pt/RC and Pt/C. When assembled into a direct isopropanol fuel cell, Pt–Ni2P/RC shows a peak power density of 0.095 W cm−2, which is 31.9% greater than that of Pt/C catalyst. Our results offer a new strategy to stabilize Pt by an electron donor for developing affordable direct isopropanol fuel cells.