Platinum arguably is the most important electrocatalyst material, not only because it is the best single element catalyst in a variety of important electrocatalytic reactions but also due to its relatively high stability. However, in the corrosive environment of real electrocatalysis systems, such as fuel cells, even platinum can structurally degrade. Moreover, the presence of strongly adsorbing species, in particular carbon monoxide (CO), can substantially increase these degradation effects.
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Source: Phys.org