能源催化材料的电化学合成

电催化是发展可持续洁净能源技术的基础科学,是电化学能源转换和物质转化的关键环节.精准合成催化活性纳米结构是制约很多电催化反应走向实际应用的重要挑战.与湿化学合成、固相合成和气相沉积等传统方法相比,电化学合成是一种简单、快速、廉价及可控的高效催化材料制备方法,也是一种最为直接的一体化电极制备方法.本文综述了近年来利用电化...     

Programmable Exposure of Pt Active Facets for Efficient Oxygen Reduction

To produce efficient ORR catalysts with low Pt content, PtNi porous films (PFs) with sufficiently exposed Pt active sites were designed by an approach combining electrochemical bottom‐up (electrodeposition) and top‐down (anodization) processes. The dynamic oxygen‐bubble template (DOBT) programmably controlled by a square‐wave potential was used to tune the catalyst morphology and expose Pt active facets in PtNi PFs. Surface‐bounded species, such as hydroxyl (OH^*, *=surface site) on the exposed PtNi PFs surfaces were adjusted by the applied anodic voltage, further affecting the dynamic oxygen (O₂) bubbles adsorption on Pt. As a result, PtNi PF with enriched Pt(111) facets (denoted as Pt_{3.5 %}Ni PF) was obtained, showing prominent ORR activity with an onset potential of 0.92 V (vs. RHE) at an ultra‐low Pt loading (0.015 mg cm^?2).     

Pd–Pb Alloy Nanocrystals with Tailored Composition for Semihydrogenation: Taking Advantage of Catalyst Poisoning

Metallic nanocrystals (NCs) with well‐defined sizes and shapes represent a new family of model systems for establishing structure–function relationships in heterogeneous catalysis. Here in this study, we show that catalyst poisoning can be utilized as an efficient strategy for nanocrystals shape and composition control, as well as a way to tune the catalytic activity of catalysts. Lead species, a well‐known poison for noble‐metal catalysts, was investigated in the growth of Pd NCs. We discovered that Pb atoms can be incorporated into the lattice of Pd NCs and form Pd–Pb alloy NCs with tunable composition and crystal facets. As model catalysts, the alloy NCs with different compositions showed different selectivity in the semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene. Pd–Pb alloy NCs with better selectivity than that of the commercial Lindlar catalyst were discovered. This study exemplified that the poisoning effect in catalysis can be explored as efficient shape‐directing reagents in NC growth, and more importantly, as a strategy to tailor the performance of catalysts with high selectivity.     

Completely Green Synthesis of Colloid Adams’ Catalyst α‐PtO2 Nanocrystals and Derivative Pt Nanocrystals with High Activity and Stability for Oxygen Reduction

We report a first solution strategy for controlled synthesis of Adams’ catalyst (i.e., α‐PtO₂) by a facile and totally green approach using H₂PtCl₆ and water as reactants. The prepared α‐PtO₂ nanocrystals (NCs) are ultrasmall in size and have very “clean” surfaces, which can be reduced to Pt NCs easily in ethanol under ambient conditions. Such Adams’ catalysts have been applied as electrocatalysts beyond the field of heterogeneous catalysis. Noticeably, the water‐only synthesized α‐PtO₂ NCs and their derivative Pt NCs all exhibit much higher oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activities and stabilities than that of the state‐of‐art Pt/C electrocatalysts. This study provides an example on the organics‐free synthesis of α‐PtO₂ and Pt NCs as promising cathode catalysts for fuel cell applications and, particularly, this simple, straightforward method may open a new way for the synthesis of other “clean” functional nanomaterials.     

Facile Synthesis of PdCu Echinus‐Like Nanocrystals as Robust Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation Reaction

Exploiting high‐performance and inexpensive electrocatalysts for methanol electro‐oxidation is conductive to promoting the commercial application of direct methanol fuel cells. Here, we present a facile synthesis of echinus‐like PdCu nanocrystals (NCs) via a one‐step and template‐free method. The echinus‐like PdCu NCs possess numerous straight and long branches which can provide abundant catalytic active sites. Owing to the novel nanoarchitecture and electronic effect of the PdCu alloy, the echinus‐like PdCu NCs display high electrocatalytic performance toward methanol oxidation reaction in an alkaline medium. The mass activity of echinus‐like PdCu NCs is 1202.1 mA mg_Pd^?1, which is 3.7 times that of Pd/C catalysts. In addition, the echinus‐like structure, as a kind of three‐dimensional self‐supported nanoarchitecture, endows PdCu NCs with significantly enhanced stability and durability. Hence, the echinus‐like PdCu NCs hold prospect of being employed as electrocatalysts for direct alcohol fuel cells.     

Formation of a Highly Reactive Cobalt Nanocluster Crystal within a Highly Negatively Charged Porous Coordination Cage

Earth‐abundant first‐row transition‐metal nanoclusters (NCs) have been extensively investigated as catalysts. However, their catalytic activity is relatively low compared with noble metal NCs. Enhanced catalytic activity of cobalt NCs can be achieved by encapsulating Co NCs in soluble porous coordination cages (PCCs). Two cages, PCC‐2a and 2b, possess almost identical cavity in shape and size, while PCC‐2a has five times more net charges than PCC‐2b. Co²⁺ cations were accumulated in PCC‐2a and reduced to ultra‐small Co NCs in situ, while for PCC‐2b, only bulky Co particles were formed. As a result, Co NCs@PCC‐2a accomplished the highest catalytic activity in the hydrolysis of ammonium borane among all the first‐row transition‐metals NCs. Based on these results, it is envisioned that confining in the charged porous coordination cage could be a novel route for the synthesis of ultra‐small NCs with extraordinary properties.     

Noble‐Metal Nanocrystals with Controlled Facets for Electrocatalysis

Noble‐metal nanocrystals (NCs) show excellent catalytic performance for many important electrocatalysis reactions. The crystallographic properties of the facets by which the NCs are bound, closely associated with the shape of the NCs, have a profound influence on the electrocatalytic function of the NCs. To develop an efficient strategy for the synthesis of NCs with controlled facets as well as compositions, understanding of the growth mechanism of the NCs and their interaction with the chemical species involved in NC synthesis is quite important. Furthermore, understanding the facet‐dependent catalytic properties of noble‐metal NCs and the corresponding mechanisms for various electrocatalysis reactions will allow for the rational design of robust electrocatalysts. In this review, we summarize recently developed synthesis strategies for the preparation of mono‐ and bimetallic noble‐metal NCs by classifying them by the type of facets through which they are enclosed and discuss the electrocatalytic applications of noble‐metal NCs with controlled facets, especially for reactions associated with fuel‐cell applications, such as the oxygen reduction reaction and fuel (methanol, ethanol, and formic acid) oxidation reactions.     

Polyoxometalate‐Mediated One‐Pot Synthesis of Pd Nanocrystals with Controlled Morphologies for Efficient Chemical and Electrochemical Catalysis

Polyoxometalates (POMs), as inorganic ligands, can endow metal nanocrystals (NCs) with unique reactivities on account of their characteristic redox properties. In the present work, we present a facile POM‐mediated one‐pot aqueous synthesis method for the production of single‐crystalline Pd NCs with controlled shapes and sizes. The POMs could function as both reducing and stabilizing agents in the formation of NCs, and thus gave a fine control over the nucleation and growth kinetics of NCs. The prepared POM‐stabilized Pd NCs exhibited excellent catalytic activity and stability for electrocatalytic (formic acid oxidation) and catalytic (Suzuki coupling) reactions compared to Pd NCs prepared without the POMs. This shows that the POMs play a pivotal role in determining the catalytic performance, as well as the growth, of NCs. We envision that the present approach can offer a convenient way to develop efficient NC‐based catalyst systems.     

钴-聚吡咯-碳载PtNi燃料电池催化剂的制备及应用

采用脉冲微波辅助化学还原合成新型载体钴-聚吡咯-碳(Co-PPy-C)负载PtNi催化剂.利用透射电镜(TEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)研究了催化剂的结构和形貌,此外,利用循环伏安(CV)和线性扫描伏安(LSV)等方法测试了催化剂的电化学活性及耐久性. PtNi/Co-PPy-C催化剂的金属颗粒直径约为1.77 nm,催化剂在载体上分布均匀且粒径分布范围较窄. XRD结果显示, PtNi/Co-PPy-C中Pt(111)峰最强, Pt主要是面心立方晶格.CV结果显示,其电化学活性面积(ECSA)为72.5 m²·g^-1,明显高于商用催化剂Pt/C(JM)的56.9 m²·g^-1.为进一步考查催化剂耐久性,电化学加速5000圈耐久性测试后, PtNi/Co-PPy-C颗粒发生明显集聚, ECSA衰减率和0.9 V下比质量活性衰减率分别为38.2%和63.9%.此外,采用有效面积为50 cm²的单电池用于评价自制催化剂的性能,发现在70 ℃且背压为50 kPa时电池的性能最好,此时自制PtNi/Co-PPy-C催化剂制备膜电极(MEA)的最大功率密度达到523 mW·cm^-2.可见自制催化剂的电化学性能高于商用Pt/C(JM),在质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)领域有一定的应用前景.     

Completely green synthesis of colloid Adams' catalyst α-PtO2 nanocrystals and derivative Pt nanocrystals with high activity and stability for oxygen reduction

We report a first solution strategy for controlled synthesis of Adams' catalyst (i.e., α-PtO(2)) by a facile and totally green approach using H(2)PtCl(6) and water as reactants. The prepared α-PtO(2) nanocrystals (NCs) are ultrasmall in size and have very "clean" surfaces, which can be reduced to Pt NCs easily in ethanol under ambient conditions. Such Adams' catalysts have been applied as electrocatalysts beyond the field of heterogeneous catalysis. Noticeably, the water-only synthesized α-PtO(2) NCs and their derivative Pt NCs all exhibit much higher oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activities and stabilities than that of the state-of-art Pt/C electrocatalysts. This study provides an example on the organics-free synthesis of α-PtO(2) and Pt NCs as promising cathode catalysts for fuel cell applications and, particularly, this simple, straightforward method may open a new way for the synthesis of other "clean" functional nanomaterials.     

Monodisperse and highly active PtNi nanoparticles for O2 reduction

Monodisperse PtNi nanoparticles with various compositions were synthesized by a wet-chemical approach. After electrochemical dissolution of Ni on the particle surface, these particles exhibit a 20–30-fold enhancement in O₂ reduction activity as compared to the commercial Pt/C catalysts.     

中空铂镍/三维石墨烯催化剂的制备及电化学性能

采用超声辅助化学法和凝胶化反应相结合的工艺制备了中空铂镍/三维石墨烯电催化剂(PtNi/GCM). 利用X射线粉末衍射仪(XRD)、 X射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)、 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)等表征了催化剂的结构、 组成及微观形貌. 采用电化学工作站和旋转圆盘电极测试了催化剂对氧还原反应的电催化活性和稳定性. 结果表明, 铂和镍前驱体的不同摩尔比对催化剂的多孔结构、 粒子形貌和分散状态影响较大, 当摩尔比为1∶1时, 所得三维石墨烯中纳米粒子尺寸均一、 分散均匀. 该PtNi/GCM催化剂对氧还原具有优异的催化活性, 在半波电势(0.494 V)处, 质量比活性和面积比活性分别为1.09 A/mgPt和1.02 mA/cm², 是商业Pt/C的5.4倍和3.5倍(0.20 A/mg_Pt, 0.29 mA/cm²). 同时, 该催化剂还具有很好的稳定性, 循环30000周后, 半波电势降低值是商业铂炭的43.6%.     

A Simple Approach to Design Proteins for the Sustainable Synthesis of Metal Nanoclusters

Metal nanoclusters (NCs) are considered ideal nanomaterials for biological applications owing to their strong photoluminescence (PL), excellent photostability, and good biocompatibility. This study presents a simple and versatile strategy to design proteins, via incorporation of a di‐histidine cluster coordination site, for the sustainable synthesis and stabilization of metal NCs with different metal composition. The resulting protein‐stabilized metal NCs (Prot‐NCs) of gold, silver, and copper are highly photoluminescent and photostable, have a long shelf life, and are stable under physiological conditions. The biocompatibility of the clusters was demonstrated in cell cultures in which Prot‐NCs showed efficient cell internalization without affecting cell viability or losing luminescence. Moreover, the approach is translatable to other proteins to obtain Prot‐NCs for various biomedical applications such as cell imaging or labeling.     

The Relationship between DNA Sequences and Oligonucleotide‐Templated Silver Nanoclusters and Their Fluorescence Properties

A novel approach was developed to study the relationship between DNA sequences and DNA‐templated silver nanoclusters (DNA‐Ag NCs) in detail by using an ordinary DNA strand as an example. Three kinds of Ag NCs are formed by using the DNA strand as a scaffold. By dividing the DNA template into several parts according to their different affinities to Ag⁺, it was found that the fluorescence properties of DNA‐Ag NCs are related to not only the sequences but also to the position of different parts in the template, which provides a more efficient approach to obtain DNA‐Ag NCs with required photoluminescence properties and may ultimately contribute to the targeted synthesis of DNA‐Ag NCs.     

SnFe2O4 Nanocrystals as Highly Efficient Catalysts for Hydrogen‐Peroxide Sensing

SnFe₂O₄ nanocrystals (NC), prepared with a simple one‐step carrier‐solvent‐assisted interfacial reaction process, were developed as highly efficient catalysts for hydrogen peroxide sensing. These NCs, with a size of around 7 nm, served as the sensing catalyst and were decorated onto the pore surfaces of a porous fluorine‐doped tin oxide (PFTO) host electrode, prepared from commercial FTO glass with a simple anodic treatment, to form the sensing electrode for hydrogen peroxide. The SnFe₂O₄ NCs‐loaded PFTO electrode exhibited an ultra‐high sensitivity of 1027 mA m ^?1 cm^?2 toward hydrogen peroxide, outperforming Pt NCs‐loaded PFTO electrodes. The SnFe₂O₄ NCs‐loaded PFTO electrode proved a promising relatively low cost, high performance sensing electrode for hydrogen peroxide.     

单原子催化剂在电化学合成氨中的理论研究进展

传统Haber-Bosch工艺合成氨需要大量的能源消耗和复杂的工厂基础设备。在可再生能源的推动下,将氮气电化学还原为氨被认为是替代Haber-Bosch工艺最有效的方法,这在科学界引起了极大的关注。然而,这个过程受到氨产量和法拉第效率低的影响,因此开发更有效的电催化剂对其实际应用至关重要。在之前报告的催化剂中,单原子催化剂（SACs）在高效利用原子和不饱和配位方面表现出显著优势,这为优化催化剂性能提供了巨大的空间。文章综述了单原子催化剂在电化学合成氨中的理论研究,详细分析了贵金属催化剂、非贵金属催化剂和非金属催化剂这3类单原子催化剂的性能表现,旨在为电化学合成氨技术的发展提供理论参考。     

Colloidal Self‐Assembly of Catalytic Copper Nanoclusters into Ultrathin Ribbons

Metal nanoclusters (NCs) with diameter below 2 nm are promising catalysts in oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). However, the high surface energy of ultra‐small clusters leads to structural instability, shedding doubt on practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate a self‐assembly method to improve the durability of catalytic metal NCs, employing copper NCs capped by 1‐dodecanethiol (DT) to form free‐standing ribbons in colloidal solution. By tuning the cooperation between the dipolar attraction between Cu NCs and the van der Waals attraction between DT, the thickness of ribbons is adjusted to a single NC scale. Such free‐standing ribbons exhibit excellent catalytic activity and durability in ORR.     

Effect of Acid Treatment on Electrocatalytic Performance of PtNi Catalyst

In this paper, we describe the synthesis of the AC-PtNi/G catalysts with graphene as the carrier, via the alcohol reduction and the sulfuric acid treatment. The prepared catalysts were microscopically characterized by X-ray diffractometry(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), electron spectroscopy(EDAX), and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). We tested the electrochemical performance of the prepared catalysts using an electrochemical workstation and in situ infrared spectroscopy(FTIR). The results showed that the acid-treated AC-PtNi/G catalysts had a more uniform dispersion and with the increased of treatment time, the particle size of the catalyst became smaller. And the electrocatalytic performance of the AC-PtNi/G-48h catalyst treated with sulfuric acid for 48 h was significantly better than that of the untreated PtNi/G catalyst. Its electrochemically active surface area was 76.63 m²/g, and the peak current density value for catalytic oxidation of ethanol was 1218.83 A/g, which was 10 times that of ordinary commercial Pt/C catalyst. The steady-state current density value of 1100 s was 358.77 A/g, and it has excellent anti-CO toxicity performance. It was determined that a sulfuric acid treatment controlled catalyst particle size and increased the electrocatalytic activity of the catalytic oxidation of ethanol.     

Monodisperse AgSbS2 Nanocrystals: Size‐Control Strategy,Large‐Scale Synthesis,and Photoelectrochemistry

We report an efficient approach to the synthesis of AgSbS₂ nanocrystals (NCs) by colloidal chemistry. The size of the AgSbS₂ NCs can be tuned from 5.3 to 58.3 nm with narrow size distributions by selection of appropriate precursors and fine control of the experimental conditions. Over 15 g of high‐quality AgSbS₂ NCs can be obtained from one single reaction, indicative of the up‐scalability of the present synthesis. The resulting NCs display strong absorptions in the visible‐to‐NIR range and exceptional air stability. The photoelectrochemical measurements indicate that, although the pristine AgSbS₂ NC electrodes generate a cathodic photocurrent with a relatively small photocurrent density and poor stability, both of them can be significantly improved subject to CdS surface modification, showing promise in solar energy conversion applications.     

Balancing the Rate of Cluster Growth and Etching for Gram‐Scale Synthesis of Thiolate‐Protected Au25 Nanoclusters with Atomic Precision

We report a NaOH‐mediated NaBH₄ reduction method for the synthesis of mono‐, bi‐, and tri‐thiolate‐protected Au₂₅ nanoclusters (NCs) with precise control of both the Au core and thiolate ligand surface. The key strategy is to use NaOH to tune the formation kinetics of Au NCs, i.e., reduce the reduction ability of NaBH₄ and accelerate the etching ability of free thiolate ligands, leading to a well‐balanced reversible reaction for rapid formation of thermodynamically favorable Au₂₅ NCs. This protocol is facile, rapid (≤3 h), versatile (applicable for various thiolate ligands), and highly scalable (>1 g Au NCs). In addition, bi‐ and tri‐thiolate‐protected Au₂₅ NCs with adjustable ratios of hetero‐thiolate ligands were easily obtained. Such ligand precision in molecular ratios, spatial distribution and uniformity resulted in richly diverse surface landscapes on the Au NCs consisting of multiple functional groups such as carboxyl, amine, and hydroxy. Analysis based on NMR spectroscopy revealed that the hetero‐ligands on the NCs are well distributed with no ligand segregation. The unprecedented synthesis of multi‐thiolate‐protected Au₂₅ NCs may further promote the practical applications of functional metal NCs.