3D nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel-supported Fe3O4 nanoparticles as efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Three-dimensional (3D) N-doped graphene aerogel (N-GA)-supported Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (Fe(3)O(4)/N-GAs) as efficient cathode catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are reported. The graphene hybrids exhibit an interconnected macroporous framework of graphene sheets with uniform dispersion of Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (NPs). In studying the effects of the carbon support on the Fe(3)O(4) NPs for the ORR, we found that Fe(3)O(4)/N-GAs show a more positive onset potential, higher cathodic density, lower H(2)O(2) yield, and higher electron transfer number for the ORR in alkaline media than Fe(3)O(4) NPs supported on N-doped carbon black or N-doped graphene sheets, highlighting the importance of the 3D macropores and high specific surface area of the GA support for improving the ORR performance. Furthermore, Fe(3)O(4)/N-GAs show better durability than the commercial Pt/C catalyst.     

以细菌纤维素为前驱体简便制备氮掺杂碳纤维气凝胶作为高效氧还原催化剂

数十年来,碳气凝胶因其在催化剂载体、电容器和锂电池电极材料以及吸附剂等领域的潜在应用而备受关注.然而,传统碳气凝胶的制备往往使用昂贵且有毒的前驱体,其方法也较为复杂,不利于大规模生产及应用.本文介绍了一种以细菌纤维素为前驱体制备氮掺杂碳纤维气凝胶的方法.该方法廉价高效,简单易行且对环境无害.所制气凝胶具有密度低、孔隙度高、比表面积大以及导电性良好等优点.它继承了细菌纤维素生物质优异的三维交联多孔结构的特点,可直接用作氧还原催化剂,表现出优异的催化性能,预示着其广泛的应用前景.这在该领域的应用报道尚属首次.     

3D Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Encapsulated Metallic Nickel–Iron Alloy Nanoparticles for Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis

It is extremely desirable to explore high-efficient, affordable and robust oxygen electrocatalysts toward rechargeable Zn–air batteries (ZABs). A 3D porous nitrogen-doped graphene encapsulated metallic Ni₃Fe alloy nanoparticles aerogel (Ni₃Fe-GA₁) was constructed through a facile hydrothermal assembly and calcination process. Benefiting from 3D porous configuration with great accessibility, high electrical conductivity, abundant active sites, optimal nitrogen content and strong electronic interactions at the Ni₃Fe/N-doped graphene heterointerface, the obtained aerogel showed outstanding catalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Specifically, it exhibited an overpotential of 239 mV to attain 10 mA cm⁻² for OER, simultaneously providing a positive onset potential of 0.93 V within a half-wave potential of 0.8 V for ORR. Accordingly, when employed in the aqueous ZABs, Ni₃Fe-GA₁ achieved higher power density and superior reversibility than Pt/C−IrO₂ catalyst, making it a potential candidate for rechargeable ZABs.     

在甲烷部分氧化制合成气中Pt-Ni/Al_2O_3催化剂中的Pt-Ni协同作用机理(英文)

甲烷部分氧化制合成气的研究是在Ｎｉ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂上进行的。结果表明,添加少量的Ｐｔ可显著提高甲烷转化率和ＣＯ选择性并增加Ｎｉ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂的稳定性。通过ＸＲＤ、ＸＰＳ、ＴＰＲ和ＴＰＤ等表征手段发现,Ｐｔ－Ｎｉ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂中形成了Ｐｔ－Ｎｉ合金,Ｐｔ在催化剂表面富集。分析ＴＰＲ和ＴＰＤ数据可知,Ｐｔ－Ｎｉ双金属的相互作用阻止了催化剂的烧结和Ｎｉ的流失,提高了催化剂的活性。另外,Ｐｔ－Ｎｉ的协同作用也抑制了催化剂表面积炭的产生。     

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.     

Heterogeneous liquid phase oxidation of ethylbenzene to acetophenone with graphene carbon-based catalyst

The series of graphene materials and N-doped graphene materials were successfully synthesized and improved by high-temperature treatment with trace iron oxide. XRD, Raman, FT-IR, TEM and XPS were employed for these catalysts. The catalytic performance of these catalysts was investigated in the selective oxidation of ethylbenzene with tert-butyl hydroperoxide as oxidant. The impacts of temperature, mass of catalysts, reaction time and oxidants on the selective oxidation of ethylbenzene were also investigated. The N-doped graphene materials exhibit greatly remarkable catalytic performance than others. The conversion of ethylbenzene is more than 90% and the selectivity of acetophenone is more than 95% at 353 K. Graphene can be used as catalyst owing to its unique structures and chemical properties. The characterization tests show that the doping of N atoms can create more defects and more active sites in the N-doped graphene materials which could greatly improve the catalytic performance. Furthermore, such cost-effective graphene-based catalysts possess good stability and could be reused at least five times without remarkable loss of the catalytic activity.     

在氢气氧化反应中具有高催化活性的Pt修饰的Ni/C纳米催化剂

随着能源需求的进一步增多和化石能源的大幅度减少,新型环境友好型能源成为近十年许多科研工作者的着力点.其中,燃料电池作为一种高效率、高能量密度、环境友好型能源引起了人们的关注.氢氧燃料电池研究最早、应用最早,具有得天独厚的优势.此外,由于近些年CO2的大量排放,造成了严重的温室效应,其处理也是一个严峻的课题.谢和平课题组提出的CO2矿化发电,不仅可以处理CO2,也可以作为新型能源应用,前景广阔.而不论是氢氧燃料电池还是CO2矿化电池,其阳极反应均为氢气氧化反应(HOR).Pt作为目前仍无法取代的HOR反应催化剂,不仅全球储量有限且价格昂贵,所以,寻找一种价格低廉催化性能好的催化剂成为这些新能源进一步应用的重要课题之一.对此人们进行了大量探索,主要包括尝试不同的载体、改变金属颗粒尺寸形貌等.其中,伽伐尼置换法对于制备纳米核壳结构催化剂以及降低金属颗粒尺寸、增加比表面积均有很大帮助.基于此,本文采用浸渍法和伽伐尼置换法制备了用Pt修饰Ni/C的纳米催化剂,使得纳米级活性金属均匀分散在载体上,加之双金属效应,相对于纯Pt/C催化剂,催化能力提高.浸渍法制得Ni/C前驱体,再将其置于纯乙醇中,用H2PtCl6作为Pt源置换部分Ni,得到Pt修饰的Ni/C催化剂.XRD射线衍射测试结果表明,一般的PtNi合金由于晶格相互影响,只会出现Pt的偏移衍射峰,而该催化剂均出现明显的PtNi两种元素的衍射峰,PtNi晶格互相没有影响.循环伏安法测试结果表明,在Pt-Ni/C系列催化剂中,Pt和Ni含量不同,其电化学活性面积(ECSA)各不相同.在金属总含量一致的前提下,随着Pt含量的增加,催化剂ECSA先增加后减小,最大值为66.90 m2/g,是市售Pt/C(54.12 m2/g)的1.24倍.Tafel测试HOR/HER反应交换电流密度的结果与ECSA结果一致,而Pt-Ni/C催化剂的交换电流密度最高可达485.45 A/g,是市售Pt/C(301.91 A/g)的1.6倍.对性能较好的Pt-Ni/C催化剂进行了表征,X射线光电子能谱结果发现,该催化剂载体上只有少部分Ni的氧化物裸露在表面,大部分为Pt.而透射电镜结果表明,该催化剂纳米级活性金属颗粒尺寸一致,且均匀地分散在载体表面.综合催化剂表征和电化学性能测试结果可知,使用伽伐尼置换法得到的Pt修饰的Ni/C催化剂分散均匀、颗粒尺寸小,且由于Pt作为主要催化活性金属分散于催化剂表面,而Ni作为辅助金属并不直接参与HOR反应,使得该催化剂具有较高的电化学活性.在Pt含量较少时,由于有很多Ni在催化剂表面,且催化层厚度较大,故催化活性一般.随着Pt含量的增加和Ni含量的减少,当催化剂表面只有很少Ni及相关化合物时,由于Pt比表面积大,故活性最高.当Pt含量继续增加时,Pt在Ni表面厚度增加,很多Pt被包裹,故催化活性再次降低.     

Pt基合金氧还原催化剂设计的密度泛函理论计算研究

本文提出以合金形成能、Pt表面偏析能和氧原子吸附能作为依据筛选具有高活性和高稳定性的表面富Pt氧还原合金催化剂. 利用DFT计算对Pt与各种过渡金属形成的合金的热力学、表面化学和电子性质进行了系统研究,在此基础上预测Pt-V,Pt-Fe,Pt-Co,Pt-Ni,Pt-Cu,Pt-Zn,Pt-Mo,Pt-W等合金可能具有好的氧还原催化活性和稳定性. 所预期的大部分催化剂已有文献研究结果支持. 另外,Pt-Zn和Pt-Mo体系目前报道尚不多,值得进一步的细致研究.     

Platinum-Supported Zirconia Nanotube Arrays Supported on Graphene Aerogels Modified with Metal–Organic Frameworks: Adsorption and Oxidation of Formaldehyde at Room Temperature

Precious-metal catalysts (e.g., Au, Rh, Ag, Ru, Pt, and Pd) supported on transition-metal oxides (e.g., Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, CeO₂, ZrO₂, Co₃O₄, MnO₂, TiO₂, and NiO) can effectively oxidize volatile organic compounds. In this study, porous platinum-supported zirconia materials have been prepared by a “surface-casting” method. The synthesized catalysts present an ordered nanotube structure and exhibited excellent performance toward the catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde. A facile method, utilizing a boiling water bath, was used to fabricate graphene aerogel (GA), and the macroscopic 3D Pt/ZrO₂-GA was modified by introducing an adjustable MOF coating by a surface step-by-step method. The unblocked mesoporous structure of the graphene aerogel facilitates the ingress and egress of reactants and product molecules. The selected 7 wt.% Pt/ZrO₂-GA-MOF-5 composite demonstrated excellent performance for HCHO adsorption. Additionally, this catalyst achieved around 90 % conversion when subjected to a reaction temperature of 70 °C (T_{90 %}=70 °C). The Pt/ZrO₂-GA-MOF-5 composite induces a catalytic cycle, increasing the conversion by simultaneously adsorbing and oxidizing HCHO. This work provides a simple approach to increasing reactant concentration on the catalyst to increase the rate of reaction.     

Theoretical investigation of formation mechanism of bipyridyl molecule on Ni(111) surface: implication for synthesis of N-doped graphene from pyridine

The formation mechanism of bipyridyl molecule catalyzed by nickel catalyst with pyridine precursor has been studied using density functional theory calculations. The formation of bipyridyl on Ni(111) surface from two pyridine molecules is considered as the initial process of N-doped graphene growth, and the minimum energy pathway for the formation has been investigated in detail. The whole formation processes mainly includes three steps, i.e., the dehydrogenation of the first pyridine, adsorption and dehydrogenation of the second pyridine, and formation of the bipyridyl molecule. It is found that the C-H bond of pyridine could be selectively dissociated while the C-C and C-N bond connections are retained during the catalytic processes. The N-doped graphene formed by pyridine only contains pyridine-like nitrogen atoms, suggesting a possible way to produce N-doped graphene with pure pyridine-like nitrogen atoms. The comparison of formation mechanisms between bipyridyl and biphenyl molecules was carried out, and the results imply a lower temperature process for synthesis of N-doped graphene from pyridine than that for graphene from benzene.     

分级骨架和多层的Pt-Ni纳米晶体用于高效氧还原和甲醇氧化反应

燃料电池是电动汽车和电子设备最有前途的清洁能源之一.Pt催化剂在氧还原反应(ORR)和甲醇氧化反应(MOR)中的电催化性能对电池系统的能源效率和电池的价格起着至关重要的作用,因此设计高效的电催化剂以最大限度地提高铂的利用率,从而增强电催化效果、降低成本,已经成为燃料电池发展的一个重要方向.早期的研究表明,铂基催化剂可以有效地提高电催化性能,并且它们的组成和形貌被认为是影响催化剂活性的两个关键因素.至今,已合成出各种各样的Pt基催化剂,如Pt-Pb/Pt核壳纳米盘、Pt3Co凹面立方体、Pt-Cu-Rh纳米笼、Pt-Pd纳米枝晶等,其中纳米枝晶结构的催化剂表现出很好的氧还原性能,其高效的催化活性被认为是暴露出的较高的比表面积促进了电子转移以及拥有较多的Pt活性位点.本文采用简单的溶剂热法合成了具有大比表面积的Pt-Ni分层骨架结构(Pt-Ni HSNs)催化剂,为了验证反应物所起的作用,通过收集不同反应时间下的产物和控制单一变量,我们发现在合成配方中加入H2SO4是此类Pt-Ni纳米晶体成功生长的关键触发因素.在H2SO4的诱导下,Pt和Ni原子倾向于沉积在(111)面,促使Pt-Ni合金沿晶面方向生长为八面体结构,在此过程中发生了粒子自组装成长以及相分离过程,最后我们用酸蚀法制造了Pt-Ni HSNs,并通过TEM,XRD和XPS表征其微观结构及组成,证实了Pt-Ni HSNs已经形成合金结构.在酸性条件下,Pt-Ni HSNs在ORR反应中展示出比商业Pt/C更好的活性.在0.9 V时的质量活性为1.25 A mgpt–1,是商业Pt/C质量活性的8.9倍,并且在10000圈的耐久性测试中,Pt-Ni HSNs的质量活性仅仅损失了21.6％,远低于Pt/C损失的活性比例.Tafel曲线和旋转环盘测试结果表明,Pt-Ni HSNs在ORR反应中发生的是4电子过程,证实了它的高活性.另外,在酸性溶液中,Pt-Ni HSNs表现出了比商业Pt/C更好的MOR催化活性,且抗CO中毒能力更强.这可归因于两点:(1)Pt-Ni HSNs是由多个小颗粒组装而成,大大提高了与电解液的接触面积;(2)它独特的骨架结构减少了颗粒间团聚的可能性,有利于质子的转移.本文为设计先进的铂基电催化剂提供了一种新的自组装方法.     

分级骨架和多层的Pt-Ni纳米晶体用于高效氧还原和甲醇氧化反应

燃料电池是电动汽车和电子设备最有前途的清洁能源之一.Pt催化剂在氧还原反应(ORR)和甲醇氧化反应(MOR)中的电催化性能对电池系统的能源效率和电池的价格起着至关重要的作用,因此设计高效的电催化剂以最大限度地提高铂的利用率,从而增强电催化效果、降低成本,已经成为燃料电池发展的一个重要方向.早期的研究表明,铂基催化剂可以有效地提高电催化性能,并且它们的组成和形貌被认为是影响催化剂活性的两个关键因素.至今,已合成出各种各样的Pt基催化剂,如Pt-Pb/Pt核壳纳米盘、Pt3Co凹面立方体、Pt-Cu-Rh纳米笼、Pt-Pd纳米枝晶等,其中纳米枝晶结构的催化剂表现出很好的氧还原性能,其高效的催化活性被认为是暴露出的较高的比表面积促进了电子转移以及拥有较多的Pt活性位点.本文采用简单的溶剂热法合成了具有大比表面积的Pt-Ni分层骨架结构(Pt-Ni HSNs)催化剂,为了验证反应物所起的作用,通过收集不同反应时间下的产物和控制单一变量,我们发现在合成配方中加入H2SO4是此类Pt-Ni纳米晶体成功生长的关键触发因素.在H2SO4的诱导下,Pt和Ni原子倾向于沉积在(111)面,促使Pt-Ni合金沿晶面方向生长为八面体结构,在此过程中发生了粒子自组装成长以及相分离过程,最后我们用酸蚀法制造了Pt-Ni HSNs,并通过TEM,XRD和XPS表征其微观结构及组成,证实了Pt-Ni HSNs已经形成合金结构.在酸性条件下,Pt-Ni HSNs在ORR反应中展示出比商业Pt/C更好的活性.在0.9 V时的质量活性为1.25 A mgpt–1,是商业Pt/C质量活性的8.9倍,并且在10000圈的耐久性测试中,Pt-Ni HSNs的质量活性仅仅损失了21.6％,远低于Pt/C损失的活性比例.Tafel曲线和旋转环盘测试结果表明,Pt-Ni HSNs在ORR反应中发生的是4电子过程,证实了它的高活性.另外,在酸性溶液中,Pt-Ni HSNs表现出了比商业Pt/C更好的MOR催化活性,且抗CO中毒能力更强.这可归因于两点:(1)Pt-Ni HSNs是由多个小颗粒组装而成,大大提高了与电解液的接触面积;(2)它独特的骨架结构减少了颗粒间团聚的可能性,有利于质子的转移.本文为设计先进的铂基电催化剂提供了一种新的自组装方法.     

三维氮掺杂石墨烯气凝胶负载钴酞菁作为高效的氧气还原反应催化剂

通过两步溶剂热法制备得到三维氮掺杂石墨烯与吡啶氧基钴酞菁的复合材料(CoTPPc/NGA).该复合材料具有优良的氧气还原性能,在起峰电位和半波上接近商业化的铂碳催化剂(Pt/C),且在稳定性和抗甲醇性能上优于铂碳催化剂,有望代替铂碳催化剂成为碱性直接甲醇燃料电池的阴极催化剂.     

Well-dispersed high-loading pt nanoparticles supported by shell-core nanostructured carbon for methanol electrooxidation

Shell-core nanostructured carbon materials with a nitrogen-doped graphitic layer as a shell and pristine carbon black particle as a core were synthesized by carbonizing the hybrid materials containing in situ polymerized aniline onto carbon black. In an N-doped carbon layer, the nitrogen atoms substitute carbon atoms at the edge and interior of the graphene structure to form pyridinic N and quaternary N structures, respectively. As a result, the carbon structure becomes more compact, showing curvatures and disorder in the graphene stacking. In comparison with nondoped carbon, the N-doped one was proved to be a suitable supporting material to synthesize high-loading Pt catalysts (up to 60 wt %) with a more uniform size distribution and stronger metal-support interactions due to its high electrochemically accessible surface area, richness of disorder and defects, and high electron density. Moreover, the more rapid charge-transfer rates over the N-doped carbon material are evidenced by the high crystallinity of the graphitic shell layer with nitrogen doping as well as the low charge-transfer resistance at the electrolyte/electrode interface. Beneficial roles of nitrogen doping can be found to enhance the CO tolerance of Pt catalysts. Accordingly, an improved performance in methanol oxidation was achieved on a high-loading Pt catalyst supported by N-doped carbon. The enhanced catalytic properties were extensively discussed based on mass activity (Pt utilization) and intrinsic activity (charge-transfer rate). Therefore, N-doped carbon layers present many advantages over nondoped ones and would emerge as an interesting supporting carbon material for fuel cell electrocatalysts.     

不同表面修饰石墨烯载Pd催化剂对甲酸氧化的电催化性能

采用对氨基苯磺酸对氧化石墨烯（GO）进行表面功能化,进而负载贵金属Pd,解决了Pd团聚和不易在载体表面负载的问题,从而提高了Pd基催化剂对于甲酸的催化能力。 实验研究了相同实验条件下,Pd在氧化石墨烯、还原石墨烯（RGO）和磺化处理的石墨烯（SGO）表面的分散和负载量以及得到的复合催化剂的催化性能。 实验结果表明,SGO更容易负载贵金属,得到的催化剂对O2气的电催化还原能力优于Pd/GO和Pd/RGO,此外Pd/SGO催化剂对CO的耐受力也明显提升,这可能是苯环上的π-π键和-SO3H的范德华力协同作用更有利于Pd的固定与分散。 对Pd/SGO催化氧还原的机理也进行了分析,该氧还原为2电子反应过程。     

Sepiolite的改性及Pt/Sep-Al_2O_3催化环己烷脱氢研究(英文)

研究了酸处理对ｓｅｐｉｏｌｉｔｅ结构的影响及环己烷在Ｐｔ／ｓｅｐ－Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂上的脱氢性能。结果表明,酸处理能使Ｓｅｐｉｏｌｉｔｅ骨架中的呐“发生解离,生成一种高比表面积的产物。环己烷在经酸处理的ｓｅｐｉｏｌｉｔｅ担载Ｐｔ催化剂上的脱氢活性远较Ｐｄ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３高。研究结果还表明,在Ｐｔ／ｓｅｐ－Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂上,电子效应较几何效应对环己烷脱氢作用更显著。     

Pd‐Cu alloy nanoparticle supported on amine‐terminated ionic liquid functional 3D graphene and its application on Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction

Well distributed Pd‐Cu bimetallic alloy nanoparticles supported on amine‐terminated ionic liquid functional three‐dimensional graphene (3D IL‐rGO/Pd‐Cu) as an efficient catalyst for Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction has been prepared via a facile synthetic method. The introduction of IL‐NH₂ cations on the surface of graphene sheets can effectively avoid the re‐deposition of graphene sheets, allowing the catalyst to be reused up to 10 cycles. The addition of Cu not only saves cost but also ensures high catalytic efficiency. It is worthy to note that the catalyst 3D IL‐rGO/Pd_2.5Cu_2.5 can efficiently catalyze the Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction with the yield up to 100% in 0.25 h, almost one‐fold higher than that by the pristine IL‐rGO/Pd_2.5 catalyst (52%). The Powder X‐Ray Diffraction (XRD), combining energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping results confirm the existence and distribution of Pd and Cu in the bimetallic nanoparticles. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals the nanoparticle size with an average diameter of 3.0 ± 0.5 nm. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis proved the presence of electron transfer from Cu to Pd upon alloying. Such alloying‐induced electronic modification of Pd‐Cu alloy and 3D ionic liquid functional graphene with large specific surface area both accounted for the catalytic enhancement.     

A new simple preparation of platinum-nickel alloy nanoparticles and their characterization as an electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation

Pt-Ni alloy nanoparticles were produced by casting 2 or 10 mM H₂PtCl₆ solutions on a Ni column. The apparent particle size for the resultant Pt-Ni alloys increased with the concentration of the H₂PtCl₆ solution, while the content of Pt in the alloy decreased. The potential sweeps of 5 cycles in an H₂SO₄ aqueous solution for Pt-Ni (2 mM)/Ni and Pt-Ni (10 mM)/Ni electrodes led to electrochemical behavior similar to a polycrystalline Pt electrode, suggesting the formation of a few thin Pt layers on each Pt-Ni alloy surface. In electrochemical measurements, both Pt-Ni/Ni electrodes showed more negative onset potential of methanol oxidation and slower degradation of oxidation current of methanol than the polycrystalline Pt electrode. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of both Pt-Ni/Ni electrodes showed the shift of Pt4f peaks to a higher binding energy, suggesting that the increase in the d vacancy in the balance band 5d orbital of Pt contributed to the improved electrocatalytic activity and durability of the Pt-Ni/Ni electrodes.     

Revealing the Effect of Surface Composition on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Supported Pt-Fe Alloy Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation Performance

The designs of efficient and inexpensive Pt-based catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are essential to boost the commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells. Here, the highly catalytic performance PtFe alloys supported on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorating nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) have been successfully prepared via co-engineering of the surface composition and electronic structure. The Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst with moderate Fe³⁺ feeding content (0.86 mA/mg_Pt) exhibits 2.26-fold enhancement in MOR mass activity compared to pristine Pt/C catalyst (0.38 mA/mg_Pt). Furthermore, the CO oxidation initial potential of Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst is lower relative to Pt/C catalyst (0.71 V and 0.80 V). Benefited from the optimal surface compositions, the anti-corrosion ability of MWCNT, strong electron interaction between PtFe alloys and MWCNTs and the N-doped carbon (NC) layer, the Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst presents an improved MOR performance and anti-CO poisoning ability. This study would open up new perspective for designing efficient electrocatalysts for the DMFCs field.     

Self-supported bimodal-pore structured nitrogen-doped carbon fiber aerogel as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Self-supported 3-dimensional (3D) nitrogen-doped bimodal-pore structured carbon fiber aerogel is synthesized via a facile carbonization process using prawn shells as the raw material. The fabricated N-doped carbon fiber aerogel possesses micro- and meso-porous pores with an N doping level of 5.9% and a high surface area of 526 m² g^− 1. As an electrocatalyst, the resultant N-doped carbon fiber aerogel exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with a more positive ORR onset-potential, better stability and high resistance to crossover effect compared to the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst.