Magnetism during adsorption of oxygen in Pt segregated $Pt_3Ni$ (111): Density Functional Study

Limited understanding of the surface properties of $Pt_3Ni$ for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has motivated the study of magnetic properties and electronic structures of Pt segregated $Pt_3Ni$ (111) surface during adsorption of oxygen molecule on it. The first principle method based on density functional theory (DFT) is carried out. Nonmagnetic Pt has induced magnetic moment due to strong hybridization between Ni 3d and Pt 5d. It is found that an oxygen molecule prefers bridge site with Pt rich subsurface environment for adsorption on the surface of Pt segregated $Pt_3Ni$ (111). It is seen that there is very small charge transfer from $O_2$ to Pt. The curve of energy versus magnetic moment of the oxygen explains the magnetic moments in transition states. We found the dissociation barrier of 1.07eV significantly higher than dissociation barrier 0.77eV on Pt (111) suggesting that the dissociation is more difficult on Pt segregated $Pt_3Ni$ (111) surface. The spin polarized densities of states are presented in order to understand electronic structures of Pt and $O_2$ during the adsorption in detail.