Dealloyed PtRu catalysts for isopropanol oxidation in direct isopropanol fuel cells

The commercialization of direct isopropanol fuel cells (DIFCs) is hindered by catalyst poisoning from carbonaceous intermediates and over-oxidation during isopropanol oxidation. Here, we present a surface and electronic re-engineering strategy for PtRu catalysts via electrochemical dealloying to enhance activity and poison resistance. During dealloying, selective dissolution of Ru induces Pt rearrangement, forming a Pt-rich surface with a uniform alloy structure. The resulting electronic modulation weakens CO and organic adsorbate binding while promoting hydroxyl species formation, thereby improving catalytic activity and durability. The catalyst achieves a high mass activity of 521.7 mA mg −1 , 3.2 times that of commercial PtRu/C, and exhibits a low degradation rate of 0.12 mA cm −2 s −1 under accelerated oxidative conditions at 1.0 V. In single-cell DIFC operation, it delivers a peak power density of 200 mW cm −2 at a catalyst loading of 0.46 mg PtRu cm −2 , demonstrating its effectiveness for high-performance fuel cell applications.