Multifunctional Pt₃Rh–Co₃O₄ alloy nanoparticles with Pt-enriched surface and induced synergistic effect for improved performance in ORR, OER, and HER

Engineering high-performance electrocatalysts to improve the kinetics of parallel electrochemical reactions in low-temperature fuel cells, water splitting, and metal-air battery applications is important and inevitable. In this study, by employing a chemical co-reduction method, we developed multifunctional Pt₃Rh–Co₃O₄ alloy with uniformly distributed ultrafine nanoparticles (2–3 nm), supported on carbon. The presence of Co₃O₄ and the incorporation of Rh led to a strong electronic and ligand effect in the Pt lattice environment, which caused the d-band center of Pt to shift. This shift improved the electrocatalytic performance of Pt₃Rh–Co₃O₄ alloy. When Pt₃Rh–Co₃O₄/C was used to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (E_1/2: 0.75 V), oxygen evolution reaction (η₁₀: 290 mV), and hydrogen evolution reaction (η₁₀: 55 mV), it showed greater endurance (mass activity loss of only 7%–17%) than Pt–Co₃O₄/C and Pt/C catalysts up to 5000 potential cycles in perchloric acid. Overall, the as-prepared Pt₃Rh–Co₃O₄/C showed high multifunctional electrocatalytic potency, as demonstrated by typical electrochemical studies, and its physicochemical properties endorse their extended performance for a wide range of energy storage and conversion applications.