Catalyst assembly and method of making the same

1. A catalyst assembly comprising:

a planar crystalline catalyst of precious metal atoms and supported on a crystalline substrate, the crystalline substrate including non-precious metal atoms, the planar crystalline catalyst includes one or more inner layers, one or more intermediate layers and one or more outer layers and including an exposed surface layer crystallographically oriented according to a (111) plane, the crystalline substrate and planar crystalline catalyst interact through d-band interaction, and all of the layers of the planar crystalline catalyst have the same precious metal catalyst composition.

2. The catalyst assembly of claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes a graphitic compound of M-N—C, wherein M represents a metallic element selected from the groups consisting of Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and combinations thereof, N represents nitrogen, and C represents carbon.

3. The catalyst assembly of claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes an aromatic ring structure in the form of M-N 4 , wherein M represents a metallic element selected from the groups consisting of Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and combinations thereof, and N represents nitrogen.

4. The catalyst assembly of claim 1 , wherein the non-precious metal atoms of the substrate include Co, Ni, Fe, Ti, V, and combinations and alloys thereof.

5. The catalyst assembly of claim 1 , wherein the crystalline catalyst includes a first and second adjacent catalyst atoms defining a catalyst atomic distance, the substrate includes a substrate crystal plane of a first and second adjacent substrate atoms defining a substrate atomic distance, and a percent difference between the catalyst and substrate atomic distances is less than 10 percent.

6. The catalyst assembly of claim 5 , wherein the catalyst and substrate crystal planes are positioned next to each other.

7. The catalyst assembly of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is adjacent the crystalline catalyst in a layer-layer configuration.

8. The catalyst assembly of claim 5 , wherein the substrate and the crystalline catalyst share a (111) crystal plane.

9. The catalyst assembly of claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes a mesh support, the mesh support including one or more pores for transporting water molecules.

10. The catalyst assembly of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is electronically conductive.

11. The catalyst assembly of claim 1 , wherein the atomic distance between two adjacent catalyst atoms and the atomic distance between any two adjacent substrate atoms is less than 0.4 percent.

12. The catalyst assembly of claim 1 , wherein the crystalline substrate has a surface free energy that is greater than that of the planar crystalline catalyst.

13. The catalyst assembly of claim 1 , wherein all of the layers of the planar crystalline catalyst have the same platinum catalyst metal composition.

14. A catalyst assembly comprising:

a planar crystalline catalyst of precious metal atoms, the crystalline catalyst having a catalyst crystal plane including two adjacent atoms defining a catalyst atomic distance, and an exposed surface layer crystallographically oriented according to a (111) plane, the planar crystalline catalyst includes one or more inner layers, one or more intermediate layers and one or more outer layers, and all of the layers of the planar crystalline catalyst have the same precious metal catalyst composition; and

a substrate supporting the planar crystalline catalyst and including non-precious metal atoms, the substrate having a substrate crystal plane positioned next to the catalyst crystal plane, the substrate crystal plane including two adjacent atoms defining a substrate atomic distance, the percent difference between the catalyst and substrate atomic distances is less than 10 percent, and the catalyst crystal plane including a (111) crystal plane, the crystalline substrate and planar crystalline catalyst interact through d-band interaction.

15. The catalyst assembly of claim 14 , wherein the substrate includes a graphitic compound of M-N—C, wherein M represents a metallic element selected from the groups consisting of Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and combinations thereof, N represents nitrogen, and C represents carbon.

16. The catalyst assembly of claim 14 , wherein the substrate includes an aromatic ring structure in the form of M-N 4 , wherein M represents a metallic element selected from the groups consisting of Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and combinations thereof, and N represents nitrogen.

17. The catalyst assembly of claim 14 , wherein the substrate is adjacent the planar crystalline catalyst in a layer-layer configuration.

18. The catalyst assembly of claim 14 , wherein the planar crystalline catalyst includes a number of precious metal atomic layers, the planar crystalline catalyst includes one or more inner layers, one or more intermediate layers and one or more outer layers.

19. The catalyst assembly of claim 14 , wherein the substrate is a mesh including one or more pores for transporting water molecules.

20. A catalyst assembly comprising:

a planar crystalline catalyst having a catalyst crystal plane including two adjacent atoms defining a catalyst atomic distance; and

a crystalline substrate supporting the planar crystalline catalyst and including non-precious metal atoms, the substrate having a substrate crystal plane positioned next to the catalyst crystal plane, the substrate crystal plane including two adjacent atoms defining a substrate atomic distance, the percent difference between the catalyst and substrate atomic distances being less than 10 percent, the planar crystalline catalyst including one or more inner layers, one or more intermediate layers and one or more outer layers having the same composition and including an exposed surface layer crystallographically oriented according to a (111) plane, the crystalline substrate and planar crystalline catalyst interact through d-band interaction, and all of the layers of the planar crystalline catalyst have the same precious metal catalyst composition.