Insights into electrochemical dealloying of Cu out of Au-doped Pt-alloy nanoparticles at the sub-nano-scale

Pt alloy nanoparticles present the most probable candidate to be used as the cathode cathodic oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyst for achieving commercialization targets of the low-temperature fuel cells. It is therefore very important to understand its activation and degradation processes. Besides the ones known from the pure Pt electrocatalysts, the dealloying phenomena possess a great threat since the leached less-noble metal can interact with the polymer membrane or even poison the electrocatalyst. In this study, we present a solution, supported by in-depth advance electrochemical characterization, on how to suppress the removal of Cu from the Pt alloy nanoparticles.