Electrolyte effects play an important role in the activity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of Pt-based electrodes. Herein, we combine a computational model and rotating disk electrode measurements to investigate the effects from phosphate anion poisoning for the ORR on well-defined extended Pt surfaces. We construct a model including the poisoning effect from phosphate species on Pt(111) and Cu/Pt(111) based on density functional theory simulations. By varying the subsurface Cu content of the Cu/Pt(111) alloy, we tune the *OH binding energies on the surface by means of ligand effects, and as a result, we tune the ORR activity. We have investigated the effect of adsorbed phosphate species at low overpotentials when tuning *OH binding energies. Our results display a direct scaling relationship between adsorbed *OH and phosphate species. From the model, we observe how the three-fold binding sites of phosphate anions limit the packing of poisoning phosphate on the surface, thus allowing for *OH adsorption even when poisoned. Our work shows that, regardless of surface site blockage from phosphate, the trend in the catalytic oxygen reduction activity is predominantly governed by the *OH binding.

Electrolyte effects play an important role in the activity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of Pt-based electrodes. Herein, we combine a computational model and rotating disk electrode measurements to investigate the effects from phosphate anion poisoning for the ORR on well-defined extended Pt surfaces. We construct a model including the poisoning effect from phosphate species on Pt(111) and Cu/Pt(111) based on density functional theory simulations. By varying the subsurface Cu content of the Cu/Pt(111) alloy, we tune the *OH binding energies on the surface by means of ligand effects, and as a result, we tune the ORR activity. We have investigated the effect of adsorbed phosphate species at low overpotentials when tuning *OH binding energies. Our results display a direct scaling relationship between adsorbed *OH and phosphate species. From the model, we observe how the three-fold binding sites of phosphate anions limit the packing of poisoning phosphate on the surface, thus allowing for *OH adsorption even when poisoned. Our work shows that, regardless of surface site blockage from phosphate, the trend in the catalytic oxygen reduction activity is predominantly governed by the *OH binding., We would like to thank the Center for High Entropy Alloy Catalysis (CHEAC) funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF 149) and the Villum Foundation through the Villum Center for the Science of Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals (no. 9455) for funding this work. M.E.-E. and K.D.J. would like to thank the Independent Research Fund Denmark for the award of a DFF-Research Project 1 grant (9041-00224B) and KDfuelcell., Peer reviewed

32 pages. -- Experimental details. -- Computational details. -- Calculating binding energies. -- Calculating ORR activity, Electrolyte effects play an important role in the activity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of Pt-based electrodes. Herein, we combine a computational model and rotating disk electrode measurements to investigate the effects from phosphate anion poisoning for the ORR on well-defined extended Pt surfaces. We construct a model including the poisoning effect from phosphate species on Pt(111) and Cu/Pt(111) based on density functional theory simulations. By varying the subsurface Cu content of the Cu/Pt(111) alloy, we tune the *OH binding energies on the surface by means of ligand effects, and as a result, we tune the ORR activity. We have investigated the effect of adsorbed phosphate species at low overpotentials when tuning *OH binding energies. Our results display a direct scaling relationship between adsorbed *OH and phosphate species. From the model, we observe how the three-fold binding sites of phosphate anions limit the packing of poisoning phosphate on the surface, thus allowing for *OH adsorption even when poisoned. Our work shows that, regardless of surface site blockage from phosphate, the trend in the catalytic oxygen reduction activity is predominantly governed by the *OH binding., Peer reviewed

Electrolyte effects play an important role in the activity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of Pt-based electrodes. Herein, we combine a computational model and rotating disk electrode measurements to investigate the effects from phosphate anion poisoning for the ORR on well-defined extended Pt surfaces. We construct a model including the poisoning effect from phosphate species on Pt(111) and Cu/Pt(111) based on density functional theory simulations. By varying the subsurface Cu content of the Cu/Pt(111) alloy, we tune the *OH binding energies on the surface by means of ligand effects, and as a result, we tune the ORR activity. We have investigated the effect of adsorbed phosphate species at low overpotentials when tuning *OH binding energies. Our results display a direct scaling relationship between adsorbed *OH and phosphate species. From the model, we observe how the three-fold binding sites of phosphate anions limit the packing of poisoning phosphate on the surface, thus allowing for *OH adsorption even when poisoned. Our work shows that, regardless of surface site blockage from phosphate, the trend in the catalytic oxygen reduction activity is predominantly governed by the *OH binding.