Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Activities of Pt Supported on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanocapsules

• Pt supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanocapsules (Pt/NCNC) as cathode catalyst is prepared.
• Nitrogen-doped carbon nanocapsules enhance the dispersion of Pt particles.
• The oxygen reduction reaction activity of Pt/NCNC is about 3 times that of Pt/C.
• Pt/NCNC showed more positive potential for ORR compared to Pt/C.
• Pt/NCNCs exhibited better stability than Pt/C.

The nitrogen-doped carbon nanocapsules (NCNCs) were explored as catalyst support for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acid electrolyte. The deposition of Pt particles on NCNCs support was characterized using various physico-chemical techniques, such as scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that Pt particles are uniformly dispersed onto the NCNCs and particles size of about 2.2 nm was observed. The electrochemical ORR activities of the Pt supported on NCNCs catalysts were studied and compared with a commercial catalyst. Pt/NCNC showed enhanced ORR activity and better stability than a commercial Pt/C catalyst. The enhanced performance of Pt supported NCNCs can be attributed to the better dispersion and utilization of Pt nanoparticles.