Dr. Makoto Aoki of Fuel Cell Nanomaterials Center received Scientific Lecture Award for Research Encouragement of Surface Finishing Society of Japan

　Dr. Makoto Aoki, Assistant Professor of Fuel Cell Nanomaterials Center, received the Scientific Lecture Award for Research Encouragement at the 135th meeting of the Surface Finishing Society of Japan held on March 9th and 10th, 2017, at the Toyo University in Kawagoe, Saitama. The aim of the award is encouraging young researchers in the field of surface finishing.

　Dr. Aoki said, “It is indeed an honor to receive such an award. I am grateful to all of the people who supported my work. I will do my best in my present and future researches.”

• Research Subject
  Structural Controlled Ptx-Coy Single-Crystal Electrodes towards Higher Activity of Oxygen Reduction Reaction
• Abstract
  Pt-based alloy catalysts, such as Pt-Co, have attracted much attention to be used in practical polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) with high performance and low costs, because of the high activity of the catalysts towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the rate determining step of the power generation, and of the less use of Pt. Pt-Co alloy single crystals were prepared under 100% H2 at high temperature with different Co contents for understanding the factors enhancing the ORR activity. The relationship between the surface structures of the Pt-Co alloy electrodes at the atomic scale and the ORR rates was systematically investigated.