The Catalytic Effect of Polypyrrole/Pt‐Cu on Oxygen Reduction Reaction

This paper studies the electrochemical properties of ppy/Pt‐Cu composite for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and compares it to the highly porous ppy/Pt‐Cu catalyst, which can be synthesized by galvanostatic method (ppy/Pt‐Cu(GS)). The results of the polarization, rotating disk electrode and electrochemical impedance tests are discussed to determine the electrochemical properties of the catalysts. According to the results, ppy/Pt‐Cu(GS) catalyst is more active toward ORR compared to ppy/Pt‐Cu catalyst. The rotating disk electrode data indicates four‐electron transfer mechanism for this catalyst.     

Investigation of Platinum Dispersed on Reduced Graphene Oxide‐supported Tungsten Carbide via Sacrificial Cu Adlayers for Methanol Oxidation

Reduced graphene oxide‐supported tungsten carbide composite (WC/RGO) was prepared by program‐controlled reduction‐carburization technique. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) show that WC nanoparticles with a narrow distribution (10–20 nm) are highly dispersed both on the edge and between the layers of RGO. And then it was used as a support to load different low contents (no more than 0.4 wt%) of Pt via sacrificial Cu adlayers. The morphology and the electrocatalytic activity of the prepared catalysts were characterized by TEM and cyclic voltammograms (CV), respectively. The results indicate that a small amount of isolated Pt atoms show low or even no activity for methanol oxidation. With the increasing deposition cycles, the content of Pt and the ensembles of neighboring Pt atoms are increased, which makes the onset potential shift negatively and mass current density increase. The results demonstrate that controllable amount of Pt can be deposited on WC/RGO by galvanic displacement with Cu, and the extent and domain of Pt loading affect the electrochemical performance. Meanwhile, this research also provides another route to prepare a catalyst with ultra low noble metal on WC/RGO for solving the problem of high cost of the catalyst.     

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.     

Pt Nanoparticles Supported on Nitrogen‐Doped‐Carbon‐Decorated CeO2 for Base‐Free Aerobic Oxidation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural

Currently, the base‐free aerobic oxidation of biomass‐derived 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to produce 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is attracting intense interest due to its prospects for the green, sustainable, and promising production of biomass‐based aromatic polymers. Herein, we have developed a new Pt catalyst supported on nitrogen‐doped‐carbon‐decorated CeO₂ (NC‐CeO₂) for the aerobic oxidation of HMF in water without the addition of any homogeneous base. It was demonstrated that the small‐sized Pt particles could be well dispersed on the surface of the hybrid NC‐CeO₂ support, and the activity of the supported Pt catalyst depended strongly on the surface structure and properties of the catalysts. The as‐fabricated Pt/NC‐CeO₂ catalyst, with abundant surface defects, enhanced basicity, and favorable electron‐deficient metallic Pt species, enabled an almost 100 % yield of FDCA in water with molecular oxygen (0.4 MPa) at 110 °C for 8 h without the addition of any homogeneous base, which is indicative of exceptional catalytic performance. Furthermore, this Pt/NC‐CeO₂ catalyst also showed good stability and reusability owing to strong metal–support interactions. An understanding of the role of surface structural defects and basicity of the hybrid NC‐CeO₂ support provides a basis for the rational design of high‐performance and stable supported metal catalysts with practical applications in various transformations of biomass‐derived compounds.     

Hydrothermal Syntheses of NiO−GO Nanocomposite on 3D Nickel Foam as a Support for Pt Nanoparticles and its Superior Electrocatalytic Activity towards Methanol Oxidation

In this project, Pt/NiO?GO nanocatalyst is grown on nickel foam (NF) and, its catalytic activity towards electrochemical oxidation of methanol in acidic media is studied. The first step is devoted to the synthesis of NiO?GO support by a hydrothermal method. Then Pt nanoparticles (～34.3 nm) are electrodeposited on this supporting material. Hydrothermal and electrochemical deposition conditions are optimized. Surface of modified NF was inspected for physical characterization and Chemical composition by some techniques such as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectra (EDS), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). In the electrochemical section, the catalytic performance of Pt/NiO?GO/NF towards methanol oxidation is investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry measurements. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is elected to deliberate charge transfer resistance on the catalyst surface. Mass activity, electrochemical surface area (ECSA) and durability of prepared catalysts are compared with commercial Pt/C. Deliberations prove the superiority of Pt/NiO?GO/NF towards methanol oxidation in acidic media. The Superior quality of synthesized nanocatalyst that is attributed to the synergetic effect of the NiO?GO support material and Pt nanoparticles, indicate that Pt/NiO?GO/NF can be successfully used as the anode in the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC).     

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.     

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.     

High Dispersion and Electrocatalytic Properties of Platinum on Functional Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Platinum (Pt) nanoparticles were electrochemically dispersed on 4‐aminobenzene monolayer‐grafted multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by a potential‐step method. The structure and nature of the resulting Pt‐MWNT composites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The electrocatalytic properties of Pt‐MWNT composites for methanol oxidation have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and high electrocatalytic activity can be observed. This may be attributed to the small particle size, high dispersion of platinum particles and the particular properties of MWNT supports. The results imply that the Pt‐MWNT composites have good potential applications in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). Additionally, the long‐term cycling stability of platinum catalysts was also investigated.     

High Electrocatalytic Activity of Pt–Pd Binary Spherocrystals Chemically Assembled in Vertically Aligned TiO2 Nanotubes

To obtain noble metal catalysts with high efficiency, long‐term stability, and poison resistance, Pt and Pd are assembled in highly ordered and vertically aligned TiO₂ nanotubes (NTs) by means of the pulsed‐current deposition (PCD) method with assistance of ultrasonication (UC). Here, Pd serves as a dispersant which prevents agglomeration of Pt. Thus Pt–Pd binary catalysts are embed into TiO₂ NTs array under UC in sunken patterns of composite spherocrystals (Sps). Owing to this synthesis method and restriction by the NTs, the these catalysts show improved dispersion, more catalytically active sites, and higher surface area. This nanotubular metallic support material with good physical and chemical stability prevents catalyst loss and poisoning. Compared with monometallic Pt and Pd, the sunken‐structured Pt–Pd spherocrystal catalyst exhibits better catalytic activity and poison resistance in electrocatalytic methanol oxidation because of its excellent dispersion. The catalytic current density is enhanced by about 15 and 310 times relative to monometallic Pt and Pd, respectively. The poison resistance of the Pt–Pd catalyst was 1.5 times higher than that of Pt and Pd, and they show high electrochemical stability with a stable current enduring for more than 2100 s. Thus, the TiO₂ NTs on a Ti substrate serve as an excellent support material for the loading and dispersion of noble metal catalysts.     

Designing Self‐Supported Metal‐Organic Framework Derived Catalysts for Electrochemical Water Splitting

To achieve efficient water splitting, it is essential to develop catalysts with high electrochemical performance, enhanced durability and tunable properties. Most of the transition metal‐based catalysts employed for the water splitting have been fabricated on the solid‐electrode support by using binder, which decreases the activity and durability of the catalyst system. In this respect, self‐supported metal organic framework (MOF) derived catalysts have been introduced with enhanced catalytic activity and mechanical stability for the electrochemical water splitting. The self‐supported MOF derived catalysts exhibit improved electronic conductivity, high electrochemical surface area, enhanced mechanical stability and strong catalyst‐support interaction. Moreover, these catalysts possess highly porous and hollow structure with designed morphology and multi‐metallic composition. Recently, a tremendous effort has been provided to explore this newly growing field and new dimensions and directions have been achieved. Looking at this point, we have described here the basic principles of catalyst design from self‐supported MOF, structural and interface engineering by controlling the electronic structure of the catalysts to improve the water splitting activity. In addition, the challenges and difficulties associated with this field have been pointed out and addressed for the future progress in this field.     

Small‐Sized and Contacting Pt–WC Nanostructures on Graphene as Highly Efficient Anode Catalysts for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

The synergistic effect between Pt and WC is beneficial for methanol electro‐oxidation, and makes Pt–WC catalyst a promising anode candidate for the direct methanol fuel cell. This paper reports on the design and synthesis of small‐sized and contacting Pt–WC nanostructures on graphene that bring the synergistic effect into full play. Firstly, DFT calculations show the existence of a strong covalent interaction between WC and graphene, which suggests great potential for anchoring WC on graphene with formation of small‐sized, well‐dispersed WC particles. The calculations also reveal that, when Pt attaches to the pre‐existing WC/graphene hybrid, Pt particles preferentially grow on WC rather than graphene. Our experiments confirmed that highly disperse WC nanoparticles (ca. 5 nm) can indeed be anchored on graphene. Also, Pt particles 2–3 nm in size are well dispersed on WC/graphene hybrid and preferentially grow on WC grains, forming contacting Pt–WC nanostructures. These results are consistent with the theoretical findings. X‐ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy further confirms the intimate contact between Pt and WC, and demonstrates that the presence of WC can facilitate the crystallinity of Pt particles. This new Pt–WC/graphene catalyst exhibits a high catalytic efficiency toward methanol oxidation, with a mass activity 1.98 and 4.52 times those of commercial PtRu/C and Pt/C catalysts, respectively.     

Relationship between Pt particle size and catalyst activity for catalytic oxidation of ultrahigh‐concentration formaldehyde

The effects of particle size and kinetics of Pt/activated carbon (AC) catalysts on catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde (HCHO) were investigated. AC, f‐SiO₂ and MCM‐41 were used as supports to prepare low‐Pt‐content catalysts using H₂ reduction. Pt/AC catalyst shows the highest activity with the largest Pt particle size. By contrast, 0.1 wt% Pt/AC reduced using KBH₄ has much higher activity than that reduced using H₂, which can oxidize HCHO completely over 6000 ppm at 60°C in a fixed bed reactor. Transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicate that Pt/AC‐KBH₄ has larger Pt particles and lower valence state than Pt/AC‐H₂, which may be attributed to the ligand effect between Pt⁴⁺ and the AC support. The result of O₂ temperature‐programmed oxidation suggests that highly dispersed Pt⁴⁺ ions have stronger interaction with AC support and thus are harder to be reduced by H₂. Furthermore, Pt/AC is structure‐sensitive and larger‐sized Pt particles result in a high conversion of HCHO. Investigation of kinetics indicated that it is a zero‐order reaction for such a high HCHO concentration condition for Pt/AC‐KBH₄.     

Atomically Dispersed Semimetallic Selenium on Porous Carbon Membrane as an Electrode for Hydrazine Fuel Cells

Electrochemically functional porous membranes of low cost are appealing in various electrochemical devices used in modern environmental and energy technologies. Herein we describe a scalable strategy to construct electrochemically active, hierarchically porous carbon membranes containing atomically dispersed semi‐metallic Se, denoted SeNCM. The isolated Se atoms were stabilized by carbon atoms in the form of a hexatomic ring structure, in which the Se atoms were located at the edges of graphitic domains in SeNCM. This configuration is different from that of previously reported transition/noble metal single atom catalysts. The positively charged Se, enlarged graphitic layers, robust electrochemical nature of SeNCM endow them with excellent catalytic activity that is superior to state‐of‐the‐art commercial Pt/C catalyst. It also has long‐term operational stability for hydrazine oxidation reaction in practical hydrazine fuel cell.     

反应pH值对微波法合成的Mo修饰的Pt/C催化剂结构和乙醇电氧化催化性能的影响

通过调节微波反应溶液的pH值合成了一系列Mo修饰的Pt/C催化剂并用于乙醇的电氧化催化反应.利用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)及X射线光电子能谱(XPS)对催化剂的晶型结构、微观形貌、粒径尺寸和表面电子结构进行了表征,并采用循环伏安法(CV)、计时电流法(CA)和电化学阻抗谱(EIS)对催化剂的乙醇电氧化催化性能进行了测试.结果表明,碱性环境有利于催化剂组分在碳载体上的均匀分布,pH值为14时制得的催化剂组分颗粒尺寸最小,且分布最均匀.该催化剂不仅表现出了最大的有效电化学比表面积和最高的乙醇电氧化催化活性,而且具有最稳定的乙醇氧化催化性能.     

A Double‐Passivation Water‐Based Galvanic Displacement Method for Reproducible Gram‐Scale Production of High‐Performance Platinum‐Alloy Electrocatalysts

Preparation of large quantities of high‐performance supported Pt‐alloy electrocatalysts is crucial for the faster development and implementation of low‐temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). One of the prospective nanofabrication synthesis methods is based on the galvanic displacement (GD) reaction. A facile, highly reproducible, gram scale, water‐based double passivation GD method is now presented for the synthesis of carbon‐supported Pt‐M nanoparticles (M=Cu, Ni, Co). It offers great flexibility over the catalyst design, such as the choice of the sacrificial metal (M), variation of the chemical composition of alloy, variation of total metal loading (Pt+M) on carbon support, or even variation of the carbon support itself. The obtained Pt‐alloy catalysts are several times more active compared to a Pt reference and exhibits better stability during accelerated degradation tests performed at 60 °C.     

非碱性条件下不同粒径的碳载体负载Pt催化剂上甘油的选择性氧化(英文)

采用浸渍法制备了不同粒径的活性炭负载的Pt催化剂,并运用扫描电镜、N2吸附-脱附、透射电镜和X射线衍射对催化剂进行了表征.结果表明,当活性炭载体的粒径从253.2?m下降至9.3?m时,其表面积或孔体积变化不大,Pt颗粒高度分散于载体表面,平均粒径为2.8～5.5nm.这些高度分散的Pt催化剂在非碱性条件下的甘油氧化反应中表现出较高的活性,且随着载体粒径的减小而明显提升.其中粒径为9.3?m的活性碳负载的Pt催化剂上,游离的甘油酸收率达到47.6%,且催化剂可以重复使用.     

炭黑负载Pt-Sn双金属催化剂对乙醇的电催化氧化性能

采用一步还原法(乙二醇为还原剂)与两步还原法(在聚乙烯吡咯烷酮PVP保护下,先用硼氢化钠还原制备Sn溶胶,沉积Pt后用乙二醇还原)制备了炭黑负载Pt-Sn双金属催化剂,利用循环伏安法和计时电流法考察了催化剂制备方法、Pt/Sn原子比、溶液p H值、PVP/Sn质量比、反应介质等对乙醇室温电催化氧化活性和稳定性的影响.以X光衍射、透射电镜及电化学活性面积测定对所得催化剂进行了表征.发现引入Sn明显提高了Pt催化剂对乙醇的电催化活性与稳定性,两步还原法得到的Pt3Sn/C催化剂具有更小的颗粒尺寸,更大的电化学活性面积及更高的乙醇氧化活性与稳定性.与酸性介质相比,该催化剂在碱性介质中的电化学活性更好.     

Visualization of the Local Catalytic Activity of Electrodeposited Pt–Ag Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction by means of SECM

Pt–Ag nanoparticle co‐deposits with different Pt–Ag ratios were prepared on a glassy carbon (GC) surface by pulsed electrodeposition and investigated for their catalytic activity in electrocatalytic oxygen reduction by using cyclic voltammetry (CV), rotating disc electrode (RDE) and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The atomic composition of the Pt–Ag co‐deposits was studied by means of energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDAX). In combination with X‐ray diffraction (XRD), the presence of partly alloyed Pt and Ag on the GC surface was confirmed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicate that the prepared Pt–Ag catalyst particles are homogenously dispersed over the GC surface. Their size and morphology depend on their composition. The electrocatalytic activity of Pt–Ag deposits with high Pt content was the highest, exceeding even that of electrodeposited Pt as evaluated by quantitative RDE analysis. The redox competition mode of scanning electrochemical microscopy (RC‐SECM) was successfully used to visualize the local catalytic activity of the deposited Pt–Ag particles. Semi‐quantitative assessment of the SECM results confirmed the same order of activity of the different catalysts as the RDE investigations.     

Microfluidic Synthesis Enables Dense and Uniform Loading of Surfactant‐Free PtSn Nanocrystals on Carbon Supports for Enhanced Ethanol Oxidation

Developing new synthetic methods for carbon supported catalysts with improved performance is of fundamental importance in advancing proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology. Continuous‐flow, microfluidic reactions in capillary tube reactors are described, which are capable of synthesizing surfactant‐free, ultrafine PtSn alloyed nanoparticles (NPs) on various carbon supports (for example, commercial carbon black particles, carbon nanotubes, and graphene sheets). The PtSn NPs are highly crystalline with sizes smaller than 2 nm, and they are highly dispersed on the carbon supports with high loadings up to 33 wt %. These characteristics make the as‐synthesized carbon‐supported PtSn NPs more efficient than state of the art commercial Pt/C catalysts applied to the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Significantly enhanced mass catalytic activity (two‐times that of Pt/C) and improved stability are obtained.     

Pyrolytic Carbon‐coated Cu‐Fe Alloy Nanoparticles with High Catalytic Performance for Oxygen Electroreduction

Well‐dispersed carbon‐coated or nitrogen‐doped carbon‐coated copper‐iron alloy nanoparticles (FeCu@C or FeCu@C?N) in carbon‐based supports are obtained using a bimetallic metal‐organic framework (Cu/Fe‐MOF‐74) or a mixture of Cu/Fe‐MOF‐74 and melamine as sacrificial templates and an active‐component precursor by using a pyrolysis method. The investigation results attest formation of Cu?Fe alloy nanoparticles. The obtained FeCu@C catalyst exhibits a catalytic activity with a half‐wave potential of 0.83 V for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline medium, comparable to that on commercial Pt/C catalyst (0.84 V). The catalytic activity of FeCu@C?N for ORR (E_half‐wave=0.87 V) outshines all reported analogues. The excellent performance of FeCu@C?N should be attributed to a change in the energy of the d‐band center of Cu resulting from the formation of the copper–iron alloy, the interaction between alloy nanoparticles and supports and N‐doping in the carbon matrix. Moreover, FeCu@C and FeCu@C?N show better electrochemical stability and methanol tolerance than commercial Pt/C and are expected to be widely used in practical applications.