Sub-nano WN clusters boost Pt fuel-cell catalyst to a record durability

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are among the most promising clean‑energy technologies for heavy‑duty transportation, yet their widespread adoption has long been stalled by the "oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) trilemma": a catalyst must be simultaneously highly active, exceptionally durable, and low cost. Platinum is the best ORR catalyst known, but platinum is rare and expensive, and conventional platinum‑on‑carbon catalysts quickly lose performance as platinum nanoparticles sinter, the carbon support corrodes, and metal dissolves during operation.

To break this deadlock, a team led by Prof. Shengli Chen (Wuhan University)developed a universal WN‑enhanced metal‑N‑C catalyst support. Using a sol‑gel route followed by high‑temperature ammonia pyrolysis, they embedded sub‑nanometer tungsten nitride (WN) clusters​ in a hierarchically porous Fe‑N‑C aerogel. Platinum nanoparticles preferentially nucleate around these WN clusters, creating a dual‑anchoring architecture: WN suppresses platinum migration and growth, while atomically dispersed Fe‑Nₓ sites provide atomic‑scale anchors.X‑ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows a negative shift​ in Pt 4f₇/₂ binding energy, suggesting electron transfer from WN to platinum. This electronic modulation weakens the binding of oxygenated intermediates and accelerates ORR kinetics.

When applying inmembrane electrode assembly at an ultralow cathode Pt loading of 0.05 mg_Pt/cm², the Pt/WN‑Fe‑N‑C catalyst achieves a peak power density of 1.85 W/cm²—roughly four times​ the power output per gram of platinum compared with commercial Pt/C. After 90,000 accelerated durability test (ADT) cycles, the catalyst still retains 91.1 % of its initial peak power, with a voltage decay of only 4 mV at 0.80 A/cm², whichsignificantly surpass the U.S. Department of Energy's 2030 technical targets.

The team extended the strategy to cobalt- and nickel‑based analogues (Pt/WN‑Co‑N‑C and Pt/WN‑Ni‑N‑C), observing the similar durability gains.

This work establishes a multi-function material‑design paradigm that deliver a general solution for the activity‑stability‑cost trilemma in fuel‑cell catalysis. By simultaneously tackling platinum utilization, support corrosion, and transition‑metal dissolution, the WN‑metal‑N‑C platform provides a practical roadmap for next‑generation, low‑platinum, long‑lifetime PEMFC catalysts.

The results were published in Chinese Journal of Catalysis (DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65108-X). The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22332004) and the Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation Youth Fund (BK20250323).

About the journal

Chinese Journal of Catalysis is co-sponsored by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Chemical Society, and it is currently published by Elsevier group. This monthly journal publishes in English timely contributions of original and rigorously reviewed manuscripts covering all areas of catalysis. The journal publishes Reviews, Accounts, Communications, Articles, Highlights, Perspectives, and Viewpoints of highly scientific values that help understanding and defining of new concepts in both fundamental issues and practical applications of catalysis. Chinese Journal of Catalysis ranks among the top six journals in Applied Chemistry with a current SCI impact factor of 17.2.

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