US 11,936,051 B2
Electrochemical catalysts with enhanced catalytic activity
Friedrich B. Prinz, Stanford, CA (US); Shicheng Xu, Stanford, CA (US); Yongmin Kim, Stanford, CA (US); Thomas Jaramillo, Stanford, CA (US); Drew C. Higgins, Stanford, CA (US); Maha Yusuf, Stanford, CA (US); Zhaoxuan Wang, Stanford, CA (US); Kyung Min Lee, Stanford, CA (US); Marat Orazov, Stanford, CA (US); Dong Un Lee, Stanford, CA (US); Tanja Graf, Wolfsburg (DE); Thomas Schladt, Wolfsburg (DE); Gerold Huebner, Wolfsburg (DE); Hanna-Lena Wittern, Wolfsburg (DE); and Jonathan Edward Mueller, Wolfsburg (DE)
Assigned to The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US); and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaf, Wolfsburg (DE)
Filed by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US); and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Wolfsburg (DE)
Filed on Dec. 13, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/713,890.
Application 16/713,890 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/US2018/037352, filed on Jun. 13, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/519,056, filed on Jun. 13, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0127300 A1, Apr. 23, 2020
Int. Cl. H01M 4/92 (2006.01); C23C 16/455 (2006.01); H01M 4/86 (2006.01); H01M 4/88 (2006.01); H01M 8/1004 (2016.01); H01M 8/10 (2016.01)
CPC H01M 4/925 (2013.01) [C23C 16/45525 (2013.01); H01M 4/8668 (2013.01); H01M 4/8807 (2013.01); H01M 4/881 (2013.01); H01M 4/8867 (2013.01); H01M 4/8892 (2013.01); H01M 8/1004 (2013.01); H01M 2008/1095 (2013.01); H01M 2250/20 (2013.01); H01M 2300/0082 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A catalyst structure comprising:
a substrate;
a catalyst layer on the substrate, wherein the catalyst layer comprises a platinum group metal and has an average thickness of 8 nm or less; and
an adhesion layer disposed between the substrate and the catalyst layer, wherein the adhesion layer has an average thickness of 3 nm or less and comprises at least one of a metal oxide or a metalloid oxide, the metal oxide or metalloid oxide having oxygen vacancies;
wherein
the adhesion layer comprises an intermixed region comprising an alloy of the platinum group metal and metal atoms from the metal oxide or metalloid oxide, wherein the platinum group metal occupies at least some of the oxygen vacancies; and
wherein the intermixed region has a concentration gradient of the platinum group metal, wherein the platinum group metal in the intermixed region has a maximum concentration at an interface of the adhesion layer and the catalyst layer and a minimum concentration at 1 nm or less from an interface of the adhesion layer and the substrate.