Synergistic improvement of oxygen reduction reaction on gold/cerium-phosphate catalysts

The main challenge in fuel cells lies in improving slow oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics causing low conversion efficiencies. Here, we introduce the Au/CePO4-binary nanocomposites as effective oxygen reduction catalysts in alkaline media. The ORR activity comparable with Pt is achieved through the serial 4-electron reduction pathway. The bi-functionality of CePO4 is suggested to explain the remarkably enhanced activity on the Au/CePO4 nanocomposites. Significantly, the own catalytic activity of CePO4 for hydrogen peroxide is demonstrated, validating synergistic effects with Au for complete ORR.