Abstract
High durability and activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was demonstrated for oxide-supported platinum catalysts. The supports were antimony doped SnO2 (ATO) fibres-in-tubes obtained by electrospinning and subsequent calcination. The doping with antimony instead of the already reported niobium, allowed the preparation of tin oxide with electrical conductivity similar to carbon, as well as an increased electrocatalyst loading. Platinum nanoparticles supported on electrospun ATO demonstrated higher electrochemical stability and comparable mass activity to commercial Pt/C during ex situ potential cycling. The in situ fuel cell tests also revealed an improved corrosion resistance with no noticeable degradation of the oxide based membrane electrode assembly (MEA), but a slightly lower performance compared to the MEA with carbon-supported catalysts.