Design of Pd{111}-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> interface for enhanced catalytic efficiency towards formic acid decomposition

Supports are commonly implemented in the industrial application of heterogeneous catalysts to improve the stability and recyclability of catalysts. The supported catalysts often show the enhanced activity and selectivity in various catalytic reactions. However, the specific contributions of electronic and steric effects to a catalytic system often remain elusive due to the lack of well-defined model systems. In this work, two types of uniform Pd nanocrystals covered by {111} facets in tetrahedral and octahedral shapes, respectively, are synthesized with identical chemical environment and loaded on TiO₂ supports to form hybrid structures (Pd{111}-TiO₂) towards the application of formic acid decomposition. Our observation suggests that the polarization effect at the interface of Pd-TiO₂ enhances its activity in formic acid decomposition. Moreover, the Pd tetrahedrons-TiO₂ hybrid structure whose Pd{111}-TiO₂ interface possesses a larger angle shows higher catalytic activity, owing to the reduced steric effect as compared to Pd octahedrons-TiO₂. This study reveals the nature of interface effects in formic acid decomposition, and provides a guidance for the related catalyst design.     

Agglomerated Pd Catalysts and Their Applications in Hydrogen Production from Formic Acid Decomposition at Room Temperature

Agglomerated Pd catalysts with the nano-porous structure were simply prepared by one-step reduction reaction without using any stabilizer. The Pd catalysts show a high catalytic activity for the decomposition of formic acid at room temperature. Among all the Pd catalysts tested, the Pd_Mg catalyst exhibits the highest catalytic activity. Moreover, the breakthrough of the advanced catalysts is that the above agglomerated Pd catalysts can be easily separated from the liquid system to control the catalytic reaction at any time, which may further promote the practical application of formic acid as a H₂ storage material.     

The Origin of Shape Sensitivity in Palladium‐Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura Cross Coupling Reactions

The shape sensitivity of Pd catalysts in Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions is studied using nanocrystals enclosed by well‐defined surface facets. The catalytic performance of Pd nanocrystals with cubic, cuboctahedral and octahedral morphologies are compared. Superior catalytic reactivity is observed for Pd NCs with {100} surface facets compared to {111} facets. The origin of the enhanced reactivity associated with a cubic morphology is related to the leaching susceptibility of the nanocrystals. Molecular oxygen plays a key role in facilitating the leaching of Pd atoms from the surface of the nanocrystals. The interaction of O₂ with Pd is itself facet‐dependent, which in turn gives rise to more efficient leaching from {100} facets, compared to {111} facets under the reaction conditions.     

Synthesis of octahedral Pt-Pd alloy nanoparticles for improved catalytic activity and stability in methanol electrooxidation

We report Pt-Pd nanoparticles synthesized by means of a polyol process with glycerol as a reducing agent. The Pt-Pd nanoparticles exhibit dominantly exposed {111} facets in octahedral shape with complete alloy formation between Pt and Pd. Furthermore, the octahedral Pt-Pd alloy catalysts show improved catalytic activity and stability in methanol electrooxidation.     

碳载PdPb催化剂的制备及对甲酸氧化的电催化性能

采用液相还原共沉积法制备出高活性纳米电催化剂PdPb/C, 研究发现, 碳载Pd催化剂中加入Pb能够提高催化剂对甲酸的电氧化活性, 并改变甲酸氧化的反应机理. 少量Pb的加入能够提高催化剂中活性粒子的分散度, 且大幅度提高催化剂对甲酸氧化的电催化活性. 当催化剂中Pd与Pb的质量比为8: 1时, 对甲酸的电氧化活性最高, 峰电流密度约为Pd/C催化剂上的180%; 而当Pd与Pb的质量比为2: 1时, 催化剂对甲酸氧化的稳定性最好.     

钯纳米晶体在电催化甲酸氧化反应中的形貌效应

本文基于课题组前期工作,选用适当的金属前驱物、还原剂、稳定剂和保护剂,通过调控氧化刻蚀和反应动力学等,成功合成了形貌和尺寸均不相同的Pd纳米晶.经过认真的纳米粒子清洗和电极修饰组装,考察了它们在电催化甲酸氧化反应中的形貌与性能的关系.研究结果表明,Pd纳米晶样品的最大电流密度以纳米八面体（nanooctahedra）、纳米线（nanowires）、纳米立方体（nanocubes）、纳米瓜子（nanotapers）、凹面纳米立方体（concave nanocubes）的顺序递增,催化甲酸氧化反应的起始氧化电位均小于0.2V.研究结果印证了Pd纳米晶催化甲酸氧化反应的催化性能在尺寸效应上主要受活性表面积的影响,扣除表面积效应后的催化性能与其尺寸没有明确关系.该系列Pd纳米晶的催化性能主要取决于其表面结构,得出Pd纳米晶催化甲酸氧化反应遵循{111}晶面〈{100}晶面〈高指数晶面的性能活性顺序.综合最大电流密度和最小操作电位因素发现,Pd凹面纳米立方体和Pd纳米瓜子具有相对较好的商用价值.     

纳米Pd的形貌和尺寸可控制备及其1,4-丁炔二醇加氢性能

采用化学还原法合成Pd纳米立方体,并将其作为晶种,进一步合成大尺寸的纳米Pd立方体以及具有不同{100}和{111}晶面比例的纳米Pd多面体.将形貌和尺寸可控的纳米Pd溶胶应用于1,4-丁炔二醇催化加氢的反应中,反应结果表明,纳米Pd的催化性能取决于其尺寸和形貌.{111}晶面的催化活性高于{100}晶面,PVP稳定的Pd胶体对1,4-丁烯二醇均具有较高选择性,具有适当{100}和{111}晶面比例的纳米Pd多面体对1,4-丁烯二醇的选择性可达96%.     

Synthesis of Pd‐Pt Ultrathin Assembled Nanosheets as Highly Efficient Electrocatalysts for Ethanol Oxidation

Control over composition and morphology of nanocrystals (NCs) is significant to develop advanced catalysts applicable to polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and further overcome the performance limitations. Here, we present a facile synthesis of Pd?Pt alloy ultrathin assembled nanosheets (UANs) by regulating the growth behavior of Pd?Pt nanostructures. Iodide ions supplied from KI play as capping agents for the {111} plane to promote 2‐dimensional (2D) growth of Pd and Pt, and the optimal concentrations of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride and ascorbic acid result in the generation of Pd?Pt alloy UANs in high yield. The prepared Pd?Pt alloy UANs exhibited the remarkable enhancement of the catalytic activity and stability toward ethanol oxidation reaction compared to irregular‐shaped Pd?Pt alloy NCs, commercial Pd/C, and commercial Pt/C. Our results confirm that the Pd?Pt alloy composition and ultrathin 2D morphology offer high accessible active sites and favorable electronic structure for enhancing electrocatalytic activity.     

用NH4F络合还原法制备的炭载Pd催化剂对甲酸分解的催化性能和甲酸氧化的电催化性能

直接甲酸燃料电池(DFAFC)的两大问题是炭载Pd(Pd/C)催化剂对甲酸氧化的电催化稳定性不好和Pd催化剂能催化甲酸分解。发现用NH4F络合还原法制备的NH4F修饰Pd/C催化剂对甲酸氧化的电催化活性要比Pd/C催化剂好大约20%,电催化稳定性也要稍优于Pd/C催化剂。在120 s内和30℃下,甲酸在Pd/C催化剂上分解产生38 mL气体,但在NH4F修饰Pd/C催化剂上基本上不分解,因此NH4F修饰主要能抑制Pd催化剂催化分解甲酸的能力,而且又能在一定程度上提高Pd/C催化剂对甲酸氧化的电催化性能。     

Exploring the Strain Effect in Single Particle Electrochemistry using Pd Nanocrystals

Tuning the surface strain of heterogeneous catalysts is recognized as a powerful strategy for tailoring their catalytic activity. However, a clear understanding of the strain effect in electrocatalysis at single-particle resolution is still lacking. Here, we explore the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of single Pd octahedra and icosahedra with the same surface bounded {111} crystal facet and similar sizes using scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM). It is revealed that tensilely strained Pd icosahedra display significantly superior HER electrocatalytic activity. The estimated turnover frequency at −0.87 V vs RHE on Pd icosahedra is about two times higher than that on Pd octahedra. Our single-particle electrochemistry study using SECCM at Pd nanocrystals unambiguously highlights the importance of tensile strain on electrocatalytic activity and may offer new strategy for understanding the fundamental relationship between surface strain and reactivity.     

Formic acid electrooxidation on Pd in acidic solutions studied by surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy

A mechanistic study of electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid on Pd in sulfuric and perchloric acids is reported. Surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection mode (ATR-SEIRAS) shows the adsorption of CO, bridge-bonded formate, bicarbonate, and supporting anions on the electrode surface. Poisoning of the Pd surface by CO, formed by dehydration of formic acid, is very slow and scarcely affects formic acid oxidation. The anions are adsorbed more strongly in the order of (bi)sulfate > bicarbonate > perchlorate, among which the most strongly adsorbed (bi)sulfate considerably suppresses formic acid oxidation in the double layer region. The oxidation is suppressed also at higher potentials in both acids by the oxidation of the Pd surface. Adsorbed formate is detected only when formic acid oxidation is suppressed. The results show that formate is a short-lived reactive intermediate in formic acid oxidation and is hence detected when its decomposition yielding CO(2) is suppressed. The high electrocatalytic activity of Pd can be ascribed to the high tolerance to CO contamination and also high catalytic activity toward formate decomposition.     

石墨烯的制备及石墨烯载Pd催化剂对甲酸的电催化氧化

以纳米石墨为原料,用两种方法分别制得石墨烯GN-1和GN-2。结果表明,用两种方法制备的石墨烯比表面积比纳米石墨都有显著增加。两种方法制备的石墨烯GN-1和GN-2形貌不同,孔径分布也有很大的差异。分别以两种方法制备的石墨烯为载体制备了Pd催化剂Pd/GN-1和Pd/GN-2。Pd/GN-1和Pd/GN-2催化剂的电化学比表面积分别为34.66和71.25 m2/g。这两种催化剂对甲酸的电催化氧化活性都较纳米石墨作载体制备的催化剂Pd/G有显著的提高,甲酸在Pd/GN-1和Pd/GN-2催化剂上的氧化峰电流密度分别为66.0和95.8 mA/cm2。两种催化剂对甲酸的氧化都有很好的稳定性。     

WO3/C hybrid material as a highly active catalyst support for formic acid electrooxidation

The hybrid material based on WO₃ and Vulcan XC-72R carbon has been used as the support of Pd nanocatalysts. The resultant Pd–WO₃/C catalysts in a large range of WO₃ content exhibit excellent catalytic activity and stability for formic acid electrooxidation. The great improvement in the catalytic performance is attributed to the uniform dispersion of Pd with less particle sizes on the WO₃/C support and the hydrogen spillover effect which greatly accelerates the dehydrogenation of HCOOH on Pd.     

Oxidation of 1,3-butadiene over Pd/C and Pd-Te/C catalysts in polar media

The oxidation of 1,3-butadiene over the Pd/C and Pd-Te/C heterogeneous catalysts occurs in organic solvents containing water at a temperature of 100°C and an oxygen partial pressure of $P_{\left[ {O_2 } \right]} = 4$ atm. Crotonaldehyde dominates among the three major products of oxidation over the Pd catalyst. The introduction of Te into the catalyst increases the methyl vinyl ketone yield, the furan yield being the lowest in all cases. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the active catalyst components can be in a partially oxidized state, particularly after storing the catalysts in air. Additional hydrogen treatment results in almost complete reduction of the active components to metals and enhances the catalytic activity. It is supposed that the oxidation of 1,3-butadiene over the Pd-Te catalysts proceeds via the activation of dioxygen over the Pd⁰ sites, with oxidized Pd and Te participating in subsequent chemical transformations.     

Icosahedral platinum alloy nanocrystals with enhanced electrocatalytic activities

This communication describes the synthesis of Pt-M (M = Au, Ni, Pd) icosahedral nanocrystals based on the gas reducing agent in liquid solution method. Both CO gas and organic surface capping agents play critical roles in stabilizing the icosahedral shape with {111} surfaces. Among the Pt-M alloy icosahedral nanocrystals generated, Pt(3)Ni had an impressive ORR specific activity of 1.83 mA/cm(2)(Pt) and 0.62 A/mg(Pt). Our results further show that the area-specific activity of icosahedral Pt(3)Ni catalysts was about 50% higher than that of the octahedral Pt(3)Ni catalysts (1.26 mA/cm(2)(Pt)), even though both shapes are bound by {111} facets. Density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations indicate that this improvement may arise from strain-induced electronic effects.     

The Effects of Exposed Specific Facets and Sulfation on the Surface Acidity of Cu2O Solids

Cuprous oxide microcrystals with {111}, {111}/{100}, and {100} exposed facets were synthesized. ³¹P MAS NMR using trimethylphosphine as the probe molecule was employed to study the acidic properties of samples. It was found that the total acidic density of samples increases evidently after sulfation compared with the pristine cuprous oxide microcrystals. During sulfation, new {100} facets are formed at the expense of {111} facets and lead to the generation of two Lewis acid sites due to the different binding states of SO₄²⁻ on {111} and {100} facets. Moreover, DFT calculation was used to illustrate the binding models of SO₄²⁻ on {111} and {100} facets. Also, a Pechmann condensation reaction was applied to study the acidic catalytic activity of these samples. It was found that the sulfated {111} facet has better activity due to its higher Lewis acid density compared with the sulfated {100} facet.     

On the origin of reactive Pd catalysts for an electrooxidation of formic acid

We investigated the origin of the reactive surface of Pd catalysts during the electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid. XPS analysis was the primary tool adapted to characterize the surface changes in Pd catalysts arising from interactions with formic acid. Pd catalysts showed fast deactivation, though their activity could be simply recovered by applying a reduction potential at which hydrogen evolution reaction can occur. XPS analysis revealed that the surface of Pd catalysts is significantly affected by interaction with formic acid, thus confirming that the surface coverage of oxygen species plays an important role in formic acid electrooxidation on the Pd catalysts. At the same time, mass transfer of formic acid also has an effect on the deactivation of Pd catalysts.     

浸渍法制备硅钨酸修饰的炭载钯催化剂电催化甲酸氧化

用浸渍的方法制备了硅钨酸（SiWA）修饰的炭载Pd(Pd/C-SiWA)催化剂。 计时电流曲线研究表明,在Pd/C和Pd/C-SiWA催化剂电极上,3000 s时的电流密度分别为0.013和0.082 A/mg,分别为10 s时电流密度的2.5%和14.1%。 结果表明,Pd/C-SiWA催化剂对甲酸氧化的电催化稳定性要远远优于Pd/C催化剂。 这是因为Pd/C催化剂上SiWA的修饰抑制了甲酸的自分解, 从而减小了CO的毒化作用,改进了Pd/C催化剂对甲酸氧化的电催化和稳定性。     

Pd/TiC-C催化剂对甲酸氧化的电催化性能

研究了TiC和C作混合载体的Pd(Pd/TiC-C)催化剂对甲酸氧化的电催化性能。发现Pd/TiC-C催化剂对直接甲酸燃料电池(DFAFC)中甲酸氧化的电催化性能要优于Pd/C催化剂。而且,Pd/TiC-C催化剂的电催化性能与C和TiC的质量比有关,当质量比为2时,Pd/TiC-C催化剂对甲酸氧化的电催化活性和稳定性最好,甲酸在C和TiC的质量比为2的Pd/TiC-C催化剂电极上的氧化峰峰电位为0.164 V,比在Pd/C催化剂电极上负移12 mV,峰电流密度为23.08 mA/cm2,比在Pd/C催化剂电极上高约42％。     

Ethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphonic acid assisted synthesis of palladium nanocubes and their electrocatalysis of formic acid oxidation

The synthesis of Pd nanocrystals of controlled size and morphology has drawn enormous interest due to their catalytic activity. We report a new and efficient strategy for the one-step synthesis of monodispersed Pd nanocubes with ethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphonate (EDTMP) as a complex-forming and capping agent. The morphology, structure, and growth mechanism of the Pd nanocubes were fully characterized via selected area electron diffraction (SAED), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that the morphology of the Pd nanocrystals in the proposed EDTMP–PdCl₂ system could be changed from octahedrons to nanocubes simply by adjusting the amount of iodide used during synthesis. After UV/ozone and electrochemical cleaning, the as-prepared Pd nanocubes demonstrated excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability during formic acid oxidation, owing to their abundant {100} facets and small particle size.