High-loading Pt nanoparticles on mesoporous carbon with large mesopores for highly active methanol electro-oxidation

High metal-loading Pt/C electrocatalysts are important for the fabrication of thin-layered membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). However, the preparation of high-loading Pt catalysts with a narrow size distribution of nanoparticles remains a challenge. Herein, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) with large mesopores (~15 nm) and a high surface area (1316.0 m² g^?1) was fabricated using a SiO₂ nanosphere array as a template. This material was developed to support a high loading of Pt nanoparticles (60 wt%) and was then used as an electrocatalyst for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The prepared Pt/OMC contains Pt nanoparticles with an average size of ~1.9 nm that are uniformly dispersed on the mesoporous walls of the OMC. The Pt/OMC catalyst exhibits smaller Pt nanoparticle size, greater Pt dispersion, larger specific electrochemically active surface area (ECSA), and higher electrocatalytic activity for the MOR than the carbon black (Vulcan XC-72R)-supported Pt and the commercial Pt/C catalysts.     

氮掺杂有序介孔碳负载超小尺寸铂纳米颗粒催化硝基苯类化合物选择加氢

氮掺杂有序介孔碳材料不仅具有高的比表面积、大的孔容和均一可调的孔径等优点,其骨架中丰富的氮原子还可以对材料的物理化学性质、配位金属电荷密度等进行调控,是一类优异的催化剂载体.本文利用软模板(嵌段共聚物F127为模板),以间氨基苯酚为碳源和氮前体,制备出较高含氮量(9.58 wt%)和比表面积(417 m2/g),以及规则孔径分布的介孔碳材料.结果表明,制备的材料具有三维立方相结构.以该碳材料作为载体,使用传统浸渍氢气还原的策略负载纳米铂颗粒.发现氮掺杂的载体能够有效控制金属纳米颗粒的尺寸,可实现超小尺寸Pt纳米颗粒的有效负载(1.0±0.5 nm),且纳米颗粒均匀分布于介孔碳材料的孔道中.相比而言,使用相同负载方法的情况下,以不掺氮的介孔碳材料为载体,纳米粒子的尺寸较难控制(4.4±1.7 nm)且会发生孔道外颗粒聚集的情况.研究表明,骨架中的氮原子与金属间弱的相互作用对纳米粒子有稳定作用.这对制备超小尺寸的金属纳米粒子催化剂具有一定的指导意义.此外,由于纳米粒子的尺寸将大大影响催化剂活性中心的暴露程度,进而影响催化剂活性.因此,我们以硝基苯类化合物的氢化反应来评价该催化剂的催化性能.在室温和1 MPa H2的温和条件下,氮掺杂的介孔碳负载催化剂表现出了优异的催化性能.反应0.5 h,对氯硝基苯可完全转化,且选择性高达99%.相比而言,商业化的Pt/C催化剂上反应的转化率和选择性分别为89%和90%.其它传统催化剂的比较,如Pt/SiO2,Pt/TiO2,同样表明,氮掺杂介孔碳负载的催化剂具有更优异的催化性能.在相同反应条件下,Pt/SiO2催化剂只能得到46%的转化率和93%的选择性,而Pt/TiO2催化剂虽然能够实现完全转化,但选择性也仅为91%.由此可见,氮掺杂的负载催化剂可大大提高反应活性和选择性,能有效抑制脱氯现象的发生.这种高的催化性能可能与催化剂的介孔结构、氮功能化载体以及超小尺寸的Pt纳米粒子的稳定有关.由于氮原子和介孔孔道的限域作用,氮掺杂介孔碳负载的催化剂也具有良好的催化稳定性,循环使用10次后,催化活性和选择性几乎没有下降.结果表明,循环使用后的催化剂金属粒子尺寸变化不大,进一步表明氮掺杂介孔碳载体对金属纳米颗粒的稳定作用.     

碳纸负载高指数晶面铂纳米粒子的制备及其在直接甲酸燃料电池中的催化性能研究

直接甲酸燃料电池(DFAFCs)是一种很有前景的可用于移动电子设备的电源. 钯对甲酸电催化氧化有很高的活性,但稳定性较差,容易失活;铂对甲酸电催化氧化的活性低于钯,但稳定性好. 前期研究表明,高指数晶面铂纳米粒子对甲酸的电催化氧化活性显著高于低指数晶面铂纳米粒子. 本文以碳纸为载体,应用方波电位法生长高指数晶面铂纳米粒子（HIF-Pt/C-paper）,通过改变方波上下限电位,合成出不同粒径的二十四面体和偏方三八面体铂纳米粒子. 进一步在碳纸上修饰一层碳黑微孔层并优化电沉积条件,制备出粒径约10 nm,载量0.069 mg•cm^-2的HIF-Pt/C-paper作为DFAFCs的阳极催化剂.在甲酸浓度为3M时,测得30℃下单电池最大功率密度10.6 mW•cm^-2,最大质量功率密度153.5 mW•mg^-1_Pt,是以1mg•cm^-2 载量的商业60 wt% Pt/C为阳极催化剂的电池的8.4倍. HIF-Pt/C-paper阳极DFAFCs在20 mA•cm^-2条件下运行50 h,电压保持率为95%,显示出很好的稳定性.     

A facile template approach for the synthesis of mesoporous Fe3C/Fe-Ndoped carbon catalysts for efficient and durable oxygen reduction reaction

Layer-structured FeOCl was used as a novel inorganic template and the Fe doping source for the facile synthesis of three-dimensional polypyrrole structures which can be converted into mesoporous Fe₃C/Fe-N-doped carbon catalysts for efficient and robust oxygen reduction reaction.     

MoP-NC纳米球负载Pt纳米粒子用于高效甲醇电解

实现绿色甲醇电解制氢需要高效的双功能催化剂。本文采用热处理结合乙二醇还原法成功制备了MoP-NC纳米球负载的超细Pt纳米粒子(平均粒径为2.53 nm)复合催化剂(Pt/MoP-NC)用于高效甲醇电解制氢。MoP-NC纳米球不仅能提高Pt纳米粒子的分散性并且增强Pt的抗中毒能力。电化学测试表明Pt/MoP-NC催化剂在酸性甲醇氧化反应(MOR)和析氢反应(HER)中具有较高的催化性能;其中,MOR的正向扫描峰值电流密度为90.7 mA∙cm⁻²,是商业Pt/C催化剂的3.2倍,在10 mA∙cm⁻²的电流密度下,HER的过电位低至30 mV,与商业Pt/C接近。由Pt/MoP-NC||Pt/MoP-NC组装的两电极电解槽驱动10 mA∙cm⁻²的电流密度仅需要0.67 V的电压,比相同条件下电解水的电压低1.02 V,大大降低了能量输入。Pt/MoP-NC的高催化性能主要来源于Pt活性中心与相邻层状多孔球形结构的MoP-NC载体之间电子效应及配体效应引起的抗一氧化碳中毒能力的提升和含氧物种的容易生成。     

介孔碳负载铂催化剂的分散性和电催化活性

以介孔硅SBA-15为模板, 糠醇为碳源制备了高度有序的介孔碳(CMK-5), 并用微波法合成碳负载的铂纳米粒子的催化剂. 为改善铂微粒的分散性能, 在微波碳载过程中添加了适量的阳离子表面活性剂(CTAB). XRD和TEM测试结果表明, CTAB的加入改善了铂催化剂的分散性, 且使铂微粒的平均粒径降至2.9 nm左右. 循环伏安测试结果显示, 加入CTAB后所得Pt/CMK-5催化剂的电化学活性面积大于未加CTAB的以及商业Johnson Matthey公司的Pt/C催化剂的活性面积.     

嵌段共聚物模板法一步制备WC/C基底电极材料

以酚醛树脂作为碳源,采用嵌段共聚物模板法一步制备新型有序介孔碳化钨/碳（WC/C）纳米颗粒. WC/C颗粒的比表面积为414 m²·g^-1,表面的平均孔径约为38 nm,处于介孔范围内（2 ~ 50 nm）. 通过调节树脂预聚时间以及碳化温度等条件制备出结构形貌较优的WC/C复合材料,并探讨了材料形成机理. 使用X射线衍射、扫描电镜、透射电镜及氮气吸脱附等方法表征了复合材料的结构. 将贵金属铂负载于WC/C表面制备得新电催化材料Pt-WC/C,使用循环伏安法和计时电流法对Pt-WC/C复合材料的电化学性能进行检测,并与商用碳载铂（Pt/C）材料进行对比. 测试结果发现,Pt-WC/C对甲醇的电催化活性以及稳定性等方面都表现出优于商用Pt/C材料的活性,这主要归功于碳化钨高度分散于碳表面.     

High‐Efficiency Encapsulation of Pt Nanoparticles into the Channel of Carbon Nanotubes as an Enhanced Electrocatalyst for Methanol Oxidation

Pt‐based nanostructures serving as anode catalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) have been widely studied for many years. Nevertheless, challenging issues such as poor reaction kinetics and the short‐term stability of the MOR are the main drawbacks of such catalysts and limit their applications. Herein, we have developed a facile approach to encapsulate Pt nanoparticles (NPs) inside the nanochannels of porous carbon nanotubes (CNTs; Pt‐in‐CNTs) as a new enhanced electrocatalytic material. The as‐prepared CNTs offer simultaneously ordered diffusion channels for ions and a confinement effect for the NPs, which both facilitate the promotion of catalytic kinetics and avoid the Ostwald ripening of Pt NPs, thus leading to high activity and durable cycle life as an anode catalyst for MOR. This work provides a new approach for enhancing the stability and activity by optimizing the structure of the catalyst, and the Pt‐in‐CNTs represent the most durable catalysts ever reported for MOR.     

Smart synthesis of hollow core mesoporous shell carbons (HCMSC) as effective catalyst supports for methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions

The present paper describes an easy and quick synthesis of hollow core mesoporous shell carbon (HCMSC) simply templated from unpretreated solid core mesoporous shell silica using a cheap precursor like sucrose. Physical characterizations showed uniform spherical carbon capsules with a hollow macroporous core of ca. 305- and 55-nm-thick mesoporous shell, forming a well-developed 3-D interconnected bimodal porosity. High specific surface area and large pore volume were also confirmed, suggesting the obtained HCMSC as a promising catalyst support. HCMSC-supported Pt (nominal 20 wt.%) with an average Pt particle size of 1.9 nm was synthesized by wet impregnation, and a signal of strong interaction between carbon support and platinum was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry tests, the Pt/HCMSC electrode showed significantly higher electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) if compared with commercial Pt/Vulcan catalyst. The durability tests by cyclic voltammetry showed for the Pt/HCMSC a lower electrochemical active surface area loss than the commercial one in acidic solution. All the primary tests suggested that the Pt/HCMSC, due to its particular structure and the high dispersion of noble metal particles, is a promising catalyst for fuel cell applications, for MOR and ORR.     

多尺度炭材料担载铂作为稳定的电催化剂用于氧还原反应

炭载体的稳定性对于燃料电池电催化剂是至关重要的. 本文中采用酚醛树脂作为前驱体,二氧化硅为模板剂,制备了多介孔且石墨化程度高的炭载体（HGMC）. 相比于商品Vulcan XC-72,HGMC具有中等的比表面积和高的石墨化程度,因此在电位循环扫描过程中具有较高的化学稳定性,然而HGMC碳层堆叠的结构不利于传质. 为克服这一劣势,多壁碳纳米管（MWCNTs）作为隔离物加入至HGMC中以构建具有三维多尺度结构的载体（MSGC）. 与HGMC为载体担载Pt以及商品催化剂Pt/C-JM相比,由于炭载体的具有高稳定性以及三维多尺度结构,MSGC担载Pt后不仅使电催化剂的电化学稳定性提高,且氧还原反应过程中传质得到显著改善.     

Stepwise synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical properties of ordered mesoporous carbons containing well-dispersed Pt nanoparticles using a functionalized template route

A stepwise method is described for the accurately controlled growth of Pt nanoparticles supported on ordered mesoporous carbons (Pt-OMC) by the nanocasting of carbon and metal precursors in the pore channels of mesoporous silicas functionalized with Si-H groups. Results obtained from N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms and transmission electron microscopy showed well-dispersed Pt nanoparticles (2-3 nm) on Pt-OMC with high surface area (837 m² g⁻¹) and regular pore channels (2.9 nm), which facilitate reactant/product diffusion. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that Pt nanoparticles in the Pt-OMC sample were mostly present in the metallic form of a face-centered cubic (fcc) crystalline structure. The Pt-OMC catalyst was found to have superior electrocatalytic properties during oxygen reduction reaction as compared to typical commercial electrocatalysts.     

纳米颗粒结合ZIF-67衍生的PtCo-NC催化剂用于醇类燃料电氧化

Alcohols fuel electro-oxidation is significant to the development of direct alcohols fuel cells, that are considered as a promising power source for portable electronic devices. Currently, the catalyst was restricted by the serious poisoning effect and high cost of noble metals. Developing low-cost Pt alloy with high performance and anti-CO poisoning ability was highly desired. In this work, PtCo-NC catalyst was synthesized by combining Pt nanoparticles with ZIF-67 after annealing in the tube furnace and the in situ generated N-doped carbon from ZIF-67 was functionalized to support the PtCo alloy nanoparticle. The structure and morphology were probed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope, and the electrochemical performance was evaluated for alcohols of methanol and ethanol oxidation in the acid electrolyte. Compared with the reference sample of Pt/C, several times performance enhancement for alcohols fuel oxidation was found on PtCo-NC catalyst as well as the good catalytic stability. Specifically, the peak current density of PtCo-NC was 79.61 mA∙cm⁻² for methanol oxidation, about 2.2 times higher than that of the Pt/C electrode (36.97 mA∙cm⁻²) and 2.5 times higher than that of the commercial Pt/C electrode (31.23 mA∙cm⁻²); it was 62.69 mA∙cm^–2 for ethanol oxidation, about 1.65 times higher than that of Pt/C catalyst (37.99 mA∙cm⁻²) and commercial Pt/C electrode (37.77 mA∙cm⁻²). These catalytic performances were also much higher than some analogous catalysts developed for alcohols fuel oxidation. A much higher anti-CO poisoning ability was demonstrated by the CO stripping voltammetry experiment, in which the CO_ad oxidation peak potential for PtCo-NC was 0.46 V, ca. 110 mV negative shift compared with Pt/C catalyst at 0.57 V. A strong electronic effect was indicated by the peak position shifting to the lower binding energy direction by 0.3 eV on PtCo-NC compared with Pt/C reference catalyst. According to the d-band center theory, the electron-enriched state of Pt will decrease the interaction strength of poisoning intermediates adsorbed on its surface; Moreover, according to the bifunctional catalytic mechanism, the presence of Co can form the adsorbed oxygen-containing species (―OH) more easily than Pt at low potentials, and this oxygen-species were helpful in the oxidation of CO_ad at neighboring Pt sites. The high catalytic performance for alcohols fuel oxidation could be due to the largely improved anti-CO poisoning ability and the synergistic effect between the in situ formed PtCo nanoparticles and the N-doped carbon support.     

原位限域生长策略制备有序介孔碳负载的超小MoO3纳米颗粒

采用原位限域生长策略制备了一系列有序介孔碳负载的超小MoO₃纳米颗粒复合物(OMC-US-MoO₃). 其中, 有序介孔碳被用作基质来原位限域MoO₃纳米晶的生长. 依此方法制备的MoO₃纳米晶具有超小的晶粒尺寸(<5 nm), 并在介孔碳骨架内具有良好的分散度. 制得的OMC-US-MoO₃复合物具有可调的比表面积(428~796 m²/g)、 孔容(0.27~0.62 cm³/g)、 MoO₃质量分数(4%~27%)和孔径(4.6~5.7 nm). 当MoO₃纳米晶的质量分数为7%时, 所得样品OMC-US-MoO₃-7具有最大的孔径、 最小的孔壁厚度和最规整的介观结构. 该样品作为催化剂时, 表现出优异的环辛烯选择性氧化性能.     

功能化有序介孔碳对重金属离子Cu(II)、Cr(VI)的选择性吸附行为

以三嵌段共聚物F127为模板剂, 酚醛树脂为碳源, 正硅酸乙酯为硅源, 三组分共组装合成介孔碳?氧化 硅纳米复合物, 再经HF去除氧化硅, 得到有序介孔碳(OMC). X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、低温 N2吸脱附(BET)等测试表明, 所得样品具有高度有序的介孔结构, 比表面积和孔容分别为1330 m²·g^-1和2.13 cm³·g^-1, 平均孔径6.4 nm. 对其先氧化、后氯化、再胺化, 得到不同胺基接枝量的胺化介孔碳(C-NH₂(m), m为加入的乙二胺的质量(g)). 傅里叶变换红外(FT-IR)光谱表征结果证实, 胺基官能团成功接枝到有序介孔碳表面.TEM测试表明介孔碳的有序孔道结构得到了较好的保持. 以有序介孔碳、胺化介孔碳作吸附剂对Cu(II)、Cr(VI)进行选择性吸附研究. 结果表明: 功能化修饰前, 样品对Cu(II)、Cr(VI)饱和吸附量分别为213.33、241.55 mg·g^-1; 修饰后饱和吸附量可分别达到495.05、68.21 mg·g^-1. 功能化介孔碳表现了较强的选择性吸附Cu(II)的能力.     

阿拉伯糖基有序介孔碳修饰电极检测盐酸奈福泮的研究

以阿拉伯糖为碳源,介孔硅(SBA-15)为模板剂,用硬模板法制备有序介孔碳材料,采用场发射扫描电镜(Scanning Electron Microscopy,SEM)、透射电子显微镜(Transmission Electron Microscope,TEM)、全自动比表面及孔隙度分析仪(Brunner Emmet Teller,BET)、X射线衍射(X-ray Diffraction,XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy,XPS)对材料进行表征。用滴涂法将有序介孔碳悬浊液滴在裸玻碳电极表面,得到有序介孔碳修饰电极。用循环伏安法来研究盐酸奈福泮在有序介孔碳修饰的玻碳电极(Glassy Carbon Electrode,GCE)上的电化学行为。在最佳条件下,盐酸奈福泮浓度在1.0×10^-8~1.0×10^-5mol·L^-1范围内与峰电流呈线性关系,相关系数为R²=0.9932,检出限为3.2×10^-9 mol·L^-1。对盐酸奈福片中盐酸奈福泮进行了检测,样品加标回收率为96.84%~102.50%,RSD<5.0%。     

Pt@Au/Al2O3核壳纳米粒子的制备和表征及其在催化氧化甲苯中的应用

Customizing core-shell nanostructures is considered to be an efficient approach to improve the catalytic activity of metal nanoparticles. Various physiochemical and green methods have been developed for the synthesis of core-shell structures. In this study, a novel liquid-phase hydrogen reduction method was employed to form core-shell Pt@Au nanoparticles with intimate contact between the Pt and Au particles, without the use of any protective or structure-directing agents. The Pt@Au core-shell nanoparticles were prepared by depositing Au metal onto the Pt core; AuCl⁴⁻ was reduced to Au(0) by H₂ in the presence of Pt nanoparticles. The obtained Pt@Au core-shell structured nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), high-resolution TEM, fast Fourier transform, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and H₂-temperature programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) analyses. The EDX mapping results for the nanoparticles, as obtained from their scanning transmission electron microscopy images in the high-angle annular dark-field mode, revealed a Pt core with Au particles grown on its surface. Fourier transform measurements were carried out on the high-resolution structure to characterize the Pt@Au nanoparticles. The lattice plane at the center of the nanoparticles corresponded to Pt, while the edge of the particles corresponded to Au. With an increase in the Au content, the intensity of the peak corresponding to Pt in the FTIR spectrum decreased slowly, indicating that the Pt nanoparticles were surrounded by Au nanoparticles, and thus confirming the core-shell structure of the nanoparticles. The XRD results showed that the peak corresponding to Pt shifted gradually toward the Au peak with an increase in the Au content, indicating that the Au particles grew on the Pt seeds; this trend was consistent with the FTIR results. Hence, it can be stated that the Pt@Au core-shell structure was successfully prepared using the liquid-phase hydrogen reduction method. The catalytic activity of the nanoparticles for the oxidation of toluene was evaluated using a fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure. The XPS and H₂-TPR results showed that the Pt₁@Au₁/Al₂O₃ catalyst had the best toluene oxidation activity owing to its lowest reduction temperature, lowest Au 4d & 4f and Pt 4d & 4f binding energies, and highest Au⁰/Au^δ+ and Pt⁰/Pt²⁺ proportions. The Pt₁@Au₂Al₂O₃ catalyst showed high stability under dry and humid conditions. The good catalytic performance and high selectivity of Pt@Au/Al₂O₃ for toluene oxidation could be attributed to the high concentration of adsorbed oxygen species, good low-temperature reducibility, and strong interaction.     

复合材料NiOx-ZSM-5的制备及微生物电解池催化析氢性能

在Na₂O-TPABr-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O溶胶体系中加入碳球, 采用水热晶化法合成ZSM-5分子筛载体, 负载镍盐制备复合材料NiO_x-ZSM-5. 利用X射线衍射(XRD)、 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、 透射电子显微镜(TEM)、 X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、 氮气吸附-脱附和电化学测试等手段对样品进行表征, 利用微生物电解池(MEC)评价其催化析氢性能. 结果表明, 在碳球作用下ZSM-5分子筛为纳米粒子聚集的椭球形貌, 介孔比表面积和介孔孔容明显增加. 浸渍焙烧后的黑色斑点NiO_x覆盖在晶隙形成的介孔表面和分子筛的表面. 相比于纯NiO, 镍盐浸渍量为40%的复合材料中多价态镍氧的吸收峰向高结合能方向移动, 多价态镍、 铝原子和氧空位活性位数量明显 增多, 显著提高了复合材料的电催化活性, 使其具有较高电流密度(8.45 mA/cm²)和较低起始析氢过电位 (151 mV), 优于NiO电极. 在MEC运行周期内, 复合材料的平均析氢电流密度为(28.64±7.4) A/m², 总产气量为(52.67±1.64) mL, H₂纯度为(89.07±0.06)%, 略高于商用Pt/C电极[(89.05±0.05)%], 产氢效率(0.571 m³?m^-3?d^-1)和库仑效率[(76.7±5.4)%]与Pt/C阴极相近, 表明复合材料是一种低成本和高效率的析氢材料.     

Spherical hollow mesoporous silica supported phosphotungstic acid as a promising catalyst for α-arylstyrenes synthesis via Friedel-Crafts alkenylation

This work presents a scalable approach for preparing spherical hollow mesoporous silica with high surface area/pore volume, serving as outstanding support for supported phosphotungstic acid catalyst with much superior catalytic performance to the one on previously reported spherical mesoporous silica toward diverse transformations, ascribed to the strengthened mass transfer and the enlarged exposure degree of acidic sites to reactants those resulting from unique hollow and mesoporous morphology.     

Platinum/mesoporous WO3 as a carbon-free electrocatalyst with enhanced electrochemical activity for methanol oxidation

A new type of carbon-free electrode catalyst, Pt/mesoporous WO3 composite, has been prepared and its electrochemical activity for methanol oxidation has been investigated. The mesoporous tungsten trioxide support was synthesized by a replicating route and the mesoporous composties with Pt loaded were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), line scan voltammetry (LSV) and chronoamperometry (CA) were adopted to characterize the electrochemical activities of the composites. The mesoporous WO3 showed high surface area, ordered pore structure, and nanosized wall thickness of about 6-7 nm. When a certain amount of Pt nanoparticles were dispersed in the pore structure of mesoporous WO3, the resultant mesostructured Pt/WO3 composites exhibit high electro-catalytic activity toward methanol oxidation. The overall electro-catalytic activities of 20 wt % Pt/WO3 composites are significantly higher than that of commercial 20 wt % Pt/C catalyst and are comparable to the 20 wt % PtRu/C catalyst in the potential region of 0.5-0.7 V. The enhanced electro-catalytic activity is attributed to be resulted from the assistant catalytic effect and the mesoporous structure of WO3 supports.     

Ordered mesoporous platinum@graphitic carbon embedded nanophase as a highly active, stable, and methanol-tolerant oxygen reduction electrocatalyst

Highly ordered mesoporous platinum@graphitic carbon (Pt@GC) composites with well-graphitized carbon frameworks and uniformly dispersed Pt nanoparticles embedded within the carbon pore walls have been rationally designed and synthesized. In this facile method, ordered mesoporous silica impregnated with a variable amount of Pt precursor is adopted as the hard template, followed by carbon deposition through a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process with methane as a carbon precursor. During the CVD process, in situ reduction of Pt precursor, deposition of carbon, and graphitization can be integrated into a single step. The mesostructure, porosity and Pt content in the final mesoporous Pt@GC composites can be conveniently adjusted over a wide range by controlling the initial loading amount of Pt precursor and the CVD temperature and duration. The integration of high surface area, regular mesopores, graphitic nature of the carbon walls as well as highly dispersed and spatially embedded Pt nanoparticles in the mesoporous Pt@GC composites make them excellent as highly active, extremely stable, and methanol-tolerant electrocatalysts toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). A systematic study by comparing the ORR performance among several carbon supported Pt electrocatalysts suggests the overwhelmingly better performance of the mesoporous Pt@GC composites. The structural, textural, and framework properties of the mesoporous Pt@GC composites are extensively studied and strongly related to their excellent ORR performance. These materials are highly promising for fuel cell applications and the synthesis method is quite applicable for constructing mesoporous graphitized carbon materials with various embedded nanophases.