Novel Pt-free catalyst for oxygen electroreduction

The tungsten carbide nanocrystals promoted Ag composite electrocatalysts have been firstly prepared and used for the electroreduction of oxygen in alkaline solution. These Pt-free electrocatalysts show high activities similar to those of Pt-based electrocatalysts. The kinetic parameters and the reaction mechanism for ORR are determined by RRDE. The enhancement of the activity is the evidence of synergetic effect. The novel electrocatalyst shows unique selectivity towards the electroreduction of oxygen and is immune to methanol, ethanol, isopropanol and glycerol. Such low cost electrocatalysts can be potentially applied to anion exchange membrane alcohol fuel cells, alcohol monitors and metal-air batteries.