LAUSR

We report the production of efficient, ultra-low Pt loading catalyst layers on fuel cell electrodes via pulse potential deposition (PPD) from a H2Pt(OH)6 plating solution. We show that by optimizing the off time in the PPD pulse sequence, it is possible to deposit very small, crystalline Pt nanoparticles with narrow size distribution (1.36 ± 0.360 nm) on amorphous carbon supports. Electrodes fabricated from these high surface area electrocatalysts display increased fuel cell performance compared to commercial electrodes with up to an order of magnitude less Pt. The improved performance of our electrodes is attributed to a combination of the optimized size of the deposited nanoparticles as well as the decreased thickness of the catalyst layer. In our deposited electrodes the catalyst layers are very thin (<10 μm) and as a result achieve up to twelve times the gravimetric power of commercial electrodes.Graphical abstract