Orbital Coupling‐Induced Quasi‐Covalent Interaction in Nd‐Doped L1 2 ‐Pt 3 Co Intermetallic Catalysts for Durable Fuel Cells

ABSTRACT Platinum remains the benchmark catalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells, but its long‐term durability and tolerance toward CO impurities are still insufficient for demanding practical operation. Here, we propose a novel perspective to address the degradation and CO‐poisoning of Pt by introducing a quasi‐covalent interaction via trace Nd incorporation into ordered L1 2 ‐Pt 3 Co intermetallic nanoparticles. Our design enables highly robust proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) assembled with L1 2 ‐NdPt 3 Co as the cathode, which achieves a high mass activity (MA) of 1.16 A mgPt − 1 and a peak power density of 1.60 W cm − 2 in H 2– O 2 mode, as well as an extraordinary durability with a MA retention of 84.86% after 30 000 accelerated durability tests (ADTs), all of which exceed the relevant 2026 DOE targets, due to the Nd‐induced local bonding regulation that strongly restricts metal dissolution and optimizes intermediate adsorption. Moreover, the high current density of 0.34 A cm − 2 at 0.8 V and rated power density of 0.68 W cm − 2 at 0.67 V under realistic H 2 –air operation suggest the great potential for application of L1 2 ‐NdPt 3 Co in practical heavy‐duty vehicles. This rare‐earth‐induced local bonding regulation provides new perspectives to design highly durable Pt electrocatalysts.