Alloying Pt with transition metals is widely recognized as a promising approach to synthesize high-performance and low-cost electrocatalysts, but binary Pt alloys such as PtNi usually have poor stability in spite of high ORR catalytic activities. Although the introduction of a third element to form a ternary alloy (e.g., PtNiCu) has been demonstrated to enhance stability and/or activity, its mechanism remains unclear. Researchers now clearly reveal the catalytic mechanism via a combined approach of innovative synthesis, advanced characterization, and theoretical simulation.

中文翻译：

---

受控的表面元素分布可增强催化活性和稳定性

将Pt与过渡金属合金化是合成高性能和低成本电催化剂的一种有前途的方法，但是二元Pt合金（如PtNi）尽管具有高ORR催化活性，但稳定性通常很差。尽管已经证明引入第三元素以形成三元合金（例如，PtNiCu）可以增强稳定性和/或活性，但是其机理仍不清楚。现在，研究人员通过创新合成，高级表征和理论模拟的组合方法清楚地揭示了催化机理。