Surface trace Au significantly enhances the stability of Pt/C catalysts for PEMFCs

Pt/C is indispensable for PEMFCs due to its high activity, but Pt dissolution and migration under harsh operating conditions limit its commercial application.Here, we achieve the targeted introduction of uniformly dispersed trace amounts of Au onto the surface of platinum nanoparticles, this downshifts the d-band center to optimize intermediate adsorption for enhanced intrinsic activity, while inducing stronger Pt–Pt covalent bonds and higher Pt vacancy formation energy to inhibit Pt dissolution, synergistically boosting both ORR activity and durability. Impressively, the modified catalyst exhibits 2.75 times the mass activity (MA) of commercial Pt/C, with only a 7.5% loss after 60,000 cycles. In a H₂–O₂ fuel cell, it achieves a peak power density of 1.87 W cm⁻². After 30,000 square wave cycles, it retains 75.5% of its initial MA, surpassing the DOE's 2025 durability target. This work provides a strategy for designing novel surface-doped catalysts.