具有高活性和突出的抗中毒性能的Pt修饰Ru/C催化剂的制备和表征(英文)

采用两步浸渍-还原法制备了一种具有高Pt利用效率,高性能的Pt修饰的Ru/C催化剂(Ru@Pt/C).对于甲醇的阳极氧化反应,该催化剂的单位质量铂的催化活性分别为Pt/C、自制PtRu/C和商业JMPtRu/C催化剂的1.9、1.5和1.4倍;其电化学活性比表面积分别为Pt/C和自制PtRu/C的1.6和1.3倍.尤为重要的是该催化剂对甲醇氧化中间体具有很好的去除能力,其正向扫描的氧化峰的峰电流密度(If)与反向扫描氧化峰的峰电流密度(Ib)之比可高达2.4,为Pt/C催化剂的If/Ib的2.7倍,表明催化剂具有很好的抗甲醇氧化中间体毒化的能力.另外,Ru@Pt/C催化剂的稳定性也高于Pt/C、自制PtRu/C和商业JMPtRu/C催化剂的稳定性.采用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)对催化剂进行了表征,Pt在Ru表面的包覆结构得到了印证.Ru@Pt/C的高铂利用效率、高性能和高抗毒能力使其有望成为一种理想的直接甲醇燃料电池电催化剂.     

Characterization and methanol electrooxidation studies of Pt(111)/Os surfaces prepared by spontaneous deposition

Catalytic activity of the Pt(111)/Os surface toward methanol electrooxidation was optimized by exploring a wide range of Os coverage. Various methods of surface analyses were used, including electroanalytical, STM, and XPS methods. The Pt(111) surface was decorated with nanosized Os islands by spontaneous deposition, and the Os coverage was controlled by changing the exposure time to the Os-containing electrolyte. The structure of Os deposits on Pt(111) was characterized and quantified by in situ STM and stripping voltammetry. We found that the optimal Os surface coverage of Pt(111) for methanol electrooxidation was 0.7 +/- 0.1 ML, close to 1.0 +/- 0.1 Os packing density. Apparently, the high osmium coverage Pt(111)/Os surface provides more of the necessary oxygen-containing species (e.g., Os-OH) for effective methanol electrooxidation than the Pt(111)/Os surfaces with lower Os coverage (vs e.g., Ru-OH). Supporting evidence for this conjecture comes from the CO electrooxidation data, which show that the onset potential for CO stripping is lowered from 0.53 to 0.45 V when the Os coverage is increased from 0.2 to 0.7 ML. However, the activity of Pt(111)/Os for methanol electrooxidation decreases when the Os coverage is higher than 0.7 +/- 0.1 ML, indicating that Pt sites uncovered by Os are necessary for sustaining significant methanol oxidation rates. Furthermore, osmium is inactive for methanol electrooxidation when the platinum substrate is absent: Os deposits on Au(111), a bulk Os ingot, and thick films of electrodeposited Os on Pt(111), all compare poorly to Pt(111)/Os. We conclude that a bifunctional mechanism applies to the methanol electrooxidation similarly to Pt(111)/Ru, although with fewer available Pt sites. Finally, the potential window for methanol electrooxidation on Pt(111)/Os was observed to shift positively versus Pt(111)/Ru. Because of the difference in the Os and Ru oxophilicity under electrochemical conditions, the Os deposit provides fewer oxygen-containing species, at least below 0.5 V vs RHE. Both higher coverage of Os than Ru and the higher potentials are required to provide a sufficient number of active oxygen-containing species for the effective removal of the site-blocking CO from the catalyst surface when the methanol electrooxidation process occurs.     

PtRu/C电催化剂上甲醇吸附氧化过程的电化学原位红外光谱

采用调变的多元醇法制备了高分散的Pt/C, PtRu/C和Ru/C电催化剂. XRD计算结果表明, PtRu/C电催化剂的平均粒径和合金度分别为2.2 nm和71%. 采用电化学方法和原位傅里叶变换红外反射光谱方法(in situ FTIRS)研究了甲醇在3种电催化剂上的吸附氧化过程, 发现PtRu/C对甲醇的催化活性明显高于Pt/C, Ru的加入一方面影响了甲醇在Pt上的解离吸附性能, 另一方面提供了Ru-OH物种, 从而抑制了低电位下电催化剂中毒. 红外光谱研究结果表明, 线性吸附态CO(COL)是主要毒化物种, 反应产物主要是CO2, 还有少量的甲酸甲酯. 根据实验结果讨论了甲醇在PtRu/C电催化剂上的氧化机理.     

Platinum submonolayer-monolayer electrocatalysis: An electrochemical and X-ray absorption spectroscopy study

A new Pt monolayer electrocatalyst concept is described and the results of electrochemical and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies are presented. Two new methods that facilitate the application of this concept in obtaining ultra-low-Pt-content electrocatalysts have been developed. One is the electroless (spontaneous) deposition of a Pt submonolayer on Ru nanoparticles, and the other is a deposition of a Pt monolayer on Pd nanoparticles by redox displacement of a Cu adlayer. The Pt submonolayer on Ru (PtRu₂₀) electrocatalyst demonstrated higher CO tolerance than commercial catalysts under conditions of rotating disk experiments. The long-term stability test showed no loss in performance over 870 h using a fuel cell operating under real conditions, even though the Pt loading was approximately 10% of that of the standard Pt loading. In situ XAS indicated an increase in d-band vacancy of deposited Pt, which may facilitate partly the reduced susceptibility to CO poisoning for this catalyst. The kinetics of O₂ reduction on a Pt monolayer on Pd nanoparticles showed a small enhancement in comparison with that from a Pt nanoparticle electrocatalyst. The increase in catalytic activity is partly attributed to decreased formation of PtOH, as shown by XAS experiments.     

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。     

Electrochemical Catalytic Properties of Pt/FeSnO(OH)_5 towards Methanol Oxidation

The Pt/FeSnO(OH)_5 catalyst has been prepared by depositing Pt nanoparticles on the synthesized FeSnO(OH)_5 nanoboxes and demonstrates excellent performance towards methanol oxidation reaction(MOR) in direct methanol fuel cells(DMFCs).The Pt/FeSnO(OH)_5 catalyst exhibits a higher mass activity(1182.35 mA/mgPt) compared with Pt/C(594.57 mA/mgPt) catalysts.The X-ray powder diffraction,field emission scanning electron microscope,field emission transmission electron microscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical experiments have been employed to explore the relationships between the crystal structure and electrochemical properties.The increased activity and resistance of CO poisoning for Pt/FeSnO(OH)_5 catalyst can be attributed to the strong interaction between the transition metal in the hydroxide and Pt and the bifunctional effect.The higher relative concentration of Pt~0 in Pt/FeSnO(OH)_5 also contributes to the MOR activity.Moreover,the charge transfer resistance of Pt/FeSnO(OH)_5 is lower than that of Pt/C.Therefore,Pt/FeSnO(OH)_5 has great application prospect as a high-performance electrocatalyst in DMFCs.     

利用原位红外光谱与微分电化学质谱联用技术研究在Pt以及PtRu电极上发生的甲醇氧化反应

利用电化学衰减全反射原位傅里叶变换红外光谱与微分电化学质谱联用技术,在流动电解池环境以及恒电位条件下研究了Pt电极和Pt电极通过表面电沉积Ru形成的PtRu电极（PtxRuy）上发生的甲醇氧化反应（反应电解质溶液为0.1 mol/L HClO4＋0.5 mol/L MeOH）. 在0.3-0.6 V（参比电极为可逆氢参比）实验用到的所有电极上,CO是唯一能从红外光谱观察到的与甲醇相关的表面吸附物;在Pt0.56Ru0.44电极上可以观察到CO吸附在Ru原子形成的岛上和CO线式吸附在Pt电极表面红外波段,而其他电极上只能观察到Pt表面上线式吸附的CO;甲醇氧化活性按Pt0.73Ru0.27〉Pt0.56Ru0.44〉Pt0.83Ru0.17〉Pt的顺序递减;在0.5V时,甲醇在Pt0.73Ru0.27电极上的氧化反应的CO2电流效率达到了50%.     

Bimetallic Pt-Au nanocatalysts electrochemically deposited on graphene and their electrocatalytic characteristics towards oxygen reduction and methanol oxidation

The burgeoning demand for clean and energy-efficient fuel cell system requires electrocatalysts to deliver greater activity and selectivity. Bimetallic catalysts have proven superior to single metal catalysts in this respect. This work reports the preparation, characterization, and electrocatalytic characteristics of a new bimetallic nanocatalyst. The catalyst, Pt-Au-graphene, was synthesized by electrodeposition of Pt-Au nanostructures on the surface of graphene sheets, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and voltammetry. The morphology and composition of the nanocatalyst can be easily controlled by adjusting the molar ratio between Pt and Au precursors. The electrocatalytic characteristics of the nanocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) were systematically investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The Pt-Au-graphene catalysts exhibits higher catalytic activity than Au-graphene and Pt-graphene catalysts for both the ORR and the MOR, and the highest activity is obtained at a Pt/Au molar ratio of 2:1. Moreover, graphene can significantly enhance the long-term stability of the nanocatalyst toward the MOR by effectively removing the accumulated carbonaceous species formed in the oxidation of methanol from the surface of the catalyst. Therefore, this work has demonstrated that a higher performance of ORR and the MOR could be realized at the Pt-Au-graphene electrocatalyst while Pt utilization also could be greatly diminished. This method may open a general approach for the morphology-controlled synthesis of bimetallic Pt-M nanocatalysts, which can be expected to have promising applications in fuel cells.     

Electrooxidation of carbon monoxide and methanol on platinum-overlayer-coated gold nanoparticles: effects of film thickness

The electrooxidation of carbon monoxide and methanol on Pt-coated Au nanoparticles attached to 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane-modified indium tin oxide electrodes was examined as a function of Pt film thickness and Au particle coverage. For the electrodes with medium and high Au particle coverages, the CO stripping peak position shifts to more negative values with increasing Pt film thickness, from ca. 0.8 V (vs Ag/AgCl) at 1 ML to 0.45 V at 10 ML. Accompanying this peak potential shift is the sharpening of the peak width from more than 150 to 65 mV. For the electrode with low Au particle coverage, similar peak width narrowing was also observed, but the peak potential shift is much smaller, from 0.85 V at 1 ML of Pt to 0.65 V at 10 ML. These observations are compared with the CO oxidation on bulk Pt electrodes and on Pt films deposited on bulk Au electrodes. The film-thickness-dependent CO oxidation is explained by d band theory in terms of strain and ligand effects, the particle size effect, and the particle aggregation induced by Pt film growth. Corresponding to the increasing CO oxidation activity, the current density of methanol oxidation grows with the Pt film thickness. The peak potential and current density reach the same values as those obtained on a polycrystalline bulk Pt electrode when more than 4 ML of Pt is deposited on the Au particle electrodes with a particle coverage higher than 0.25. These results suggest that it is feasible to reduce Pt loading in methanol fuel cells by using Pt thin films as the anode catalyst.     

Platinized mesoporous tungsten carbide for electrochemical methanol oxidation

Mesoporous WC with hexagonal crystal structure was synthesized by a surfactant-assisted polymer method. A new electrocatalyst composed of a small amount of Pt supported on the mesoporous WC exhibited higher activity for electrooxidation of methanol than microporous Pt/WC or Pt/W₂C as well as commercial Pt–Ru(1:1)/C catalysts. The mesoporosity and the phase of WC appear important for the high activity. Compared to the commercial Pt–Ru/C catalyst, the Pt/WC (mesoporous) showed the higher activity per mass of Pt by a factor of six even without Ru. Since the catalyst is also stable in electrochemical environment, it could become an alternative electrocatalyst for direct methanol fuel cells.     

PAMAM Dendrimers as Anchors for the Preparation of Electrocatalytically Active Ultrathin Metallic Films

This paper describes the formation of catalytically active thin films of Pt, Pt/Au, and Pt/Ru on gold substrates stabilized by amine‐terminated polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers. A monolayer of dendrimer is initially self‐assembled on the gold substrate, which serves as a template for the growth of catalytically active thin films. As dendrimers contain tens to hundreds of functional groups at the periphery, the aggregate strength of the multidentate interactions with the gold substrate leads to the formation of robust films. The films were found to exhibit high catalytic activity for the oxidation of small hydrocarbons such as methanol. Such films offer versatility and scope for the design of effective electrocatalysts, especially in the context of microfuel cells and “dendrichips”; hence, they could find applications in the fields of sensors, fuel cells, and waste‐water treatment.     

片层WC/C的原位合成及其在甲醇氧化中的应用

以片层二硫化钨(WS2)为前驱体,氯化钠(Na Cl)为介质,CO为气体碳源,采用程序升温法一步合成片层碳化钨/碳复合材料(WC/C)。通过X射线衍射(XRD),X射线近边吸收谱(XANES)和扫描电镜(SEM)等一系列手段对样品的化学组成、形貌、结构等进行表征。研究发现,在高温渗碳过程中,不仅利用WS2的片层结构和Na Cl的锚定作用合成了具有薄层孔洞的WC,而且Na Cl和WS2金属面对碳膜生长的催化作用使WC表面覆有原位生长的碳膜,为电子传输提供了有效通道。将该材料作为载体材料进行电化学性能测试,结果表明:负载少量Pt后制得的Pt/WC/C电催化剂,在甲醇氧化反应(MOR)中表现出良好的电催化活性、稳定性及优异的抗CO中毒能力。     

Platinum covering of gold nanoparticles for utilization enhancement of Pt in electrocatalysts

This work attempts to enhance platinum utilization in a Pt-based electrocatalyst by the tuned covering of gold nanoparticles with small Pt entities. Reductive deposition of Pt on Au nanoparticles of two size ranges (Au-I: 10 +/- 1.2 nm, Au-II: 3 +/- 0.6 nm) up to different atomic Pt : Au ratios (m) was used to prepare two series of samples named Pt(m)insertion markAu-I and Pt(m)insertion markAu-II particles, respectively. The obtained Pt(m)insertion markAu particles were characterized with TEM, XPS, UV-Vis and XRD techniques, and then loaded on conventional Vulcan XC-72 carbon to make Pt(m)insertion markAu/C electrocatalysts. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements showed that the electrochemical active surface area (EAS) and Pt utilization (U(Pt)) in Pt(m)insertion markAu/C were enhanced remarkably at m< or = 0.2 for Pt(m)insertion markAu-I/C or m< or = 0.5 for Pt(m)insertion markAu-II/C, in comparison to conventional Pt/C electrocatalyst. In particular, U(Pt) was enhanced to nearly 100% in Pt(m)insertion markAu-I/C catalysts at m< or = 0.05 and in Pt(m)insertion markAu-II/C at m< or = 0.1. In the CV measurement of methanol electro-oxidation, the specific mass activity of Pt in Pt(m)insertion markAu/C catalysts was found in proportional to U(Pt), confirming that the enhancement of Pt utilization is essential for the development of highly active Pt-based electrocatalysts. The highly dispersed Pt entities on Au nanoparticles proved to be stable during the electro-oxidation of methanol. Our study also showed that the use of smaller Au nanoparticles is advantageous for the generation of more active Pt catalyst at higher atomic Pt : Au ratios.     

Palladium monolayer and palladium alloy electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

We investigated the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) on Pd monolayers on various surfaces and on Pd alloys to obtain a substitute for Pt and to elucidate the origin of their activity. The activity of Pd monolayers supported on Ru(0001), Rh(111), Ir(111), Pt(111), and Au(111) increased in the following order: Pd/Ru(0001) < Pd/Ir(111) < Pd/Rh(111) < Pd/Au(111) < Pd/Pt(111). Their activity was correlated with their d-band centers, which were calculated using density functional theory (DFT). We found a volcano-type dependence of activity on the energy of the d-band center of Pd monolayers, with Pd/Pt(111) at the top of the curve. The activity of the non-Pt Pd2Co/C alloy electrocatalyst nanoparticles that we synthesized was comparable to that of commercial Pt-containing catalysts. The kinetics of the ORR on this electrocatalyst predominantly involves a four-electron step reduction with the first electron transfer being the rate-determining step. The downshift of the d-band center of the Pd "skin", which constitutes the alloy surface due to the strong surface segregation of Pd at elevated temperatures, determined its high ORR activity. Additionally, it showed very high methanol tolerance, retaining very high catalytic activity for the ORR at high concentrations of methanol. Provided its stability is satisfactory, this catalyst might possibly replace Pt in fuel-cell cathodes, especially those of direct methanol oxidation fuel cells (DMFCs).     

Supercritical,Freezing and Thermal Drying Process of Resorcinol‐Formaldehyde Polymer based Nano‐carbons and their Highly Loaded PtRu Anode Electrocatalyst for DMFC

The capillary condensation is affected by micropore and nanopore of catalyst layer on fuel cell. Due to limitation of sluggish mass transport and electrocatalytic activity, to retain the pore skeleton of carbon and metal nanoparticles are very significant for enhanced utilizations of pore structure in electrochemical reaction. Besides, thickness of electrocatalyst layer is very crucial due to one of the factor affected by cell performance of direct methanol fuel cell. Highly loaded four Pt?Ru anode catalysts supported on resorcinol‐formaldehyde (RF) polymer based on meso‐porous carbons (80 wt.% Pt?Ru/carbon cryogel, 80 wt.% Pt?Ru/carbon xerogel and 80 wt.% Pt?Ru/carbon aerogel) and conventional carbon (80 wt.% Pt?Ru/Vulcan XC‐72) were prepared by colloidal method for direct methanol fuel cell. These catalysts were characterized by X‐Ray diffraction (XRD), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR‐TEM) and X‐ray photoemission (XPS). The results of CO stripping voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and single cell test performed on DMFC show that Pt?Ru/carbon cryogel and Pt?Ru/carbon aerogel exhibits better performances in comparison to Pt?Ru/carbon xerogel and Pt?Ru/Vulcan XC‐72. It is thus considered that particle size, oxidation state of metal and electrochemical active surface area of these catalysts are important role in electrocatalytic activity in DMFC.     

Simple replacement reaction for the preparation of ternary Fe(1-x)PtRu(x) nanocrystals with superior catalytic activity in methanol oxidation reaction

The finding of new metal alloyed nanocrystals (NCs) with high catalytic activity and low cost to replace PtRu NCs is a critical step toward the commercialization of fuel cells. In this work, a simple cation replacement reaction was utilized to synthesize a new type of ternary Fe(1-x)PtRu(x) NCs from binary FePt NCs. The detailed structural transformation from binary FePt NCs to ternary Fe(1-x)PtRu(x) NCs was analyzed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Ternary Fe(35)Pt(40)Ru(25), Fe(31)Pt(40)Ru(29), and Fe(17)Pt(40)Ru(43) NCs exhibit superior catalytic ability to withstand CO poisoning in methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) than do binary NCs (FePt and J-M PtRu). Also, the Fe(31)Pt(40)Ru(29) NCs had the highest alloying extent and the lowest onset potential among the ternary NCs. Furthermore, the origin for the superior CO resistance of ternary Fe(1-x)PtRu(x) NCs was investigated by determining the adsorption energy of CO on the NCs' surfaces and the charge transfer from Fe/Ru to Pt using a simulation based on density functional theory. The simulation results suggested that by introducing a new metal into binary PtRu/PtFe NCs, the anti-CO poisoning ability of ternary Fe(1-x)PtRu(x) NCs was greatly enhanced because the bonding of CO-Pt on the NCs' surface was weakened. Overall, our experimental and simulation results have indicated a simple route for the discovery of new metal alloyed catalysts with superior anti-CO poisoning ability and low usage of Pt and Ru for fuel cell applications.     

Kinetically Limited CO Adsorption: Spill-Over as a Highly Effective Adsorption Pathway on Bimetallic Surfaces

We demonstrate that the (local) adsorbed carbon monoxide, CO_ad, coverage on the Pt-free areas of bimetallic Pt/Ru(0001) surfaces (a Ru(0001) substrate partly covered by Pt monolayer islands) can be increased to ∼0.80 monolayers (ML), well above the established saturation CO_ad coverage of 0.68 ML, even under ultrahigh vacuum conditions by using spill-over of CO adsorbed on the Pt islands to the Ru areas as an highly effective adsorption channel. The apparent CO_ad saturation coverage of 0.68 ML on pure Ru(0001) is identified as due to kinetic limitations, hindering further uptake from the gas phase, rather than being caused by thermodynamic reasons. This spill-over mechanism is proposed to be a general phenomenon for adsorption on bimetallic surfaces.     

Facile preparation Pt on Au dendrites supported on Si (100) and their electrochemical properties for methanol and CO electrooxidation

A new simple, time-saving method of preparing highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles with large electrochemically active area (ECA) on three-dimensional dendrite-like Au supported on Si (100) was successfully developed by electroless displacement deposition (EDD). The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscope and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The electro-catalytic properties of Pt/Au/Si for methanol and CO electrooxidation were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedances spectra. The results show that Pt/Au/Si catalyst prepared by EDD method presents the higher electro-catalytic activity and higher stability than that of Pt/Si composite. The electro-catalytic activity of Pt supported on Au could be enhanced with the growth of Au, leading to the higher electro-catalytic properties toward methanol and CO oxidation. The anodic peak of CO of Pt/Au/Si catalyst showed negatively shifted with respect to similarly prepared Pt/Si electrode. The supposed schematic of the reaction was also introduced. Overall, the approach provides a convenient method to prepare the Pt catalyst on Au dendrites with high ECA properties for DMFC and PEMFC through bottom-up assembly.     

Blocking the defect sites on ultrathin Pt nanowires with Rh atoms to optimize the reaction path toward alcohol fuel oxidation

Anodic electrocatalyst plays the core role in direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs), while traditional Pt-catalysts suffer from limited catalytic activity, high over potential and severe CO poisoning. Herein, by selectively depositing Rh atoms on the defective-sites of Pt nanowires (NWs), we developed a new Pt@Rh NW electrocatalyst that exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic performance for both methanol oxidation (MOR) and ethanol oxidation (EOR). Both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and in-situ infrared spectroscopy revealed that the presence of Rh atoms suppressed the generation of poisonous intermediates and completely oxidized alcohols molecule into CO₂. Atomic resolusion spherical aberration corrected high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (CS-HAADF-STEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping analysis revealed that Rh atoms were primarily deposited on the defective sites of Pt NWs. Meanwhile, the presence of Rh atoms also modified the electronic state of Pt atoms and therefore lowered the onset potential for alcohols oxidation potential. This work gives the first clear clue on the role of the defective sites of Pt nanocatalyst poisoning, and propose that selectively blocking these sites with trace amount of Rh is an effective strategy in designing advantageous electrocatalysts.     

Irrelevance of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in the Methanol Oxidation Reaction on a PtRu Electrocatalyst

Based on detailed in situ attenuated total‐reflection–surface‐enhanced IR reflection absorption spectroscopy (ATR‐SEIRAS) studies of the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) on Ru/Pt thin film and commercial Johnson–Matthey PtRu/C, a revised MOR enhancement mechanism is proposed in which CO on Pt sites is irrelevant but instead Pt‐Ru boundary sites catalyze the oxygen insertion reaction that leads to the formation of formate and enhances the direct reaction pathway.