Synthesis and electrocatalytic activity of Au/Pt bimetallic nanodendrites for ethanol oxidation in alkaline medium

Gold/Platinum (Au/Pt) bimetallic nanodendrites were successfully synthesized through seeded growth method using preformed Au nanodendrites as seeds and ascorbic acid as reductant. Cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of a series of Au/Pt nanodendrites modified electrodes in 1M KOH solution containing 1M ethanol showed that the electrocatalyst with a molar ratio (Au:Pt) of 3 exhibited the highest peak current density and the lowest onset potential. The peak current density of ethanol electro-oxidation on the Au(3)Pt(1) nanodendrites modified glassy carbon electrode (Au(3)Pt(1) electrode) is about 16, 12.5, and 4.5 times higher than those on the polycrystalline Pt electrode, polycrystalline Au electrode, and Au nanodendrites modified glassy carbon electrode (Au dendrites electrode), respectively. The oxidation peak potential of ethanol electro-oxidation on the Au(3)Pt(1) electrode is about 299 and 276 mV lower than those on the polycrystalline Au electrode and Au dendrites electrode, respectively. These results demonstrated that the Au/Pt bimetallic nanodendrites may find potential application in alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (ADEFCs).     

Solid-state photoluminescence sensitization of Tb3+ by novel Au2Pt2 and Au2Pt4 cyanide clusters

The syntheses are reported for two novel Tb(3+) heterotrimetallic cyanometallates, K(2)[Tb(H(2)O)(4)(Pt(CN)(4))(2)]Au(CN)(2)·2H(2)O (1) and [Tb(C(10)N(2)H(8))(H(2)O)(4)(Pt(CN)(4))(Au(CN)(2))]·1.5C(10)N(2)H(8)·2H(2)O (2) (C(10)N(2)H(8) = 2,2'-bipyridine). Both compounds have been isolated as colorless crystals, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction has been used to investigate their structural features. Crystallographic data (MoKα, λ = 0.71073 ?, T = 290 K): 1, tetragonal, space group P4(2)/nnm, a = 11.9706(2) ?, c = 17.8224(3) ?, V = 2553.85(7) ?(3), Z = 4; 2, triclinic, space group P1, a = 10.0646(2) ?, b = 10.7649(2) ?, c = 17.6655(3) ?, α = 101.410(2)°, β = 92.067(2)°, γ = 91.196(2)°, V = 1874.14(6) ?(3), Z = 2. For the case of 1, the structure contains Au(2)Pt(4) hexameric noble metal clusters, while 2 includes Au(2)Pt(2) tetrameric clusters. The clusters are alike in that they contain Au-Au and Au-Pt, but not Pt-Pt, metallophilic interactions. Also, the discrete clusters are directly coordinated to Tb(3+) and sensitize its emission in both solid-state compounds, 1 and 2. The Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of 1 show broad excitation bands corresponding to donor groups when monitored at the Tb(3+) ion f-f transitions, which is typical of donor/acceptor energy transfer (ET) behavior in the system. The compound also displays a broad emission band at ～445 nm, assignable to a donor metal centered (MC) emission of the Au(2)Pt(4) clusters. The PL properties of 2 show a similar Tb(3+) emission in the visible region and a lack of donor-based emission at room temperature; however, at 77 K a weak, broad emission occurs at 400 nm, indicative of uncoordinated 2,2'-bipyridine, along with strong Tb(3+) transitions. The absolute quantum yield (QY) for the Tb(3+) emission ((5)D(4) → (7)F(J (J = 6-3))) in 1 is 16.3% with a lifetime of 616 μs when excited at 325 nm. In contrast the weak MC emission at 445 nm has a quantum yield of 0.9% with a significantly shorter lifetime of 0.61 μs. For 2 the QY value decreases to 9.3% with a slightly shorter lifetime of 562 μs. The reduced QY in 2 is considered to be a consequence of (1) the slightly increased donor-acceptor excited energy gap relative to the optimal gap suggested for Tb(3+) and (2) Tb(3+) emission quenching via a bpy ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) excited state.     

Highly efficient submonolayer Pt-decorated Au nano-catalysts for formic acid oxidation

A novel structure of catalyst, submonolayer Pt-decorated Au, has been synthesized with minimal use of Pt and shows markedly improved activity toward formic acid oxidation where it facilitates the direct oxidation of formic acid by suppressing the formation of poisonous species COads via the "ensemble" effect.     

分级结构AgAu纳米合金用于高效电催化乙醇氧化

乙醇由于具有无毒、理论能量密度高、易存储等优点,被广泛用于直接醇类燃料电池研究.乙醇电氧化是直接醇类燃料电池中重要的阳极反应,通常涉及C1和C2反应路径.C1路径中乙醇分子主要转化成二氧化碳,但该过程涉及C-C键断裂,会有COad和CH(x)ad等中间体产生;C2路径中乙醇分子转化成乙醛,最终转化成乙酸或乙酸根.为提升...     

Ultrasmall Pt2Sr alloy nanoparticles as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution in acidic media

Electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) in acidic media are vital for the applications of renewable energy electrolyzers.However,the low mass activity of noble Pt urgently needs to be improved due to the strong binding energetics of oxygen species(*O) with Pt sites.Here we report fine PtxSr alloy(～2 nm) supported on N-doped carbon(NC) pyrolyzing from ZIF-8 as bifunctional electrocatalysts toward ORR and HER in acidic media.The representative Pt_2<...     

General Strategy for Synthesis of Ordered Pt3M Intermetallics with Ultrasmall Particle Size

Controllable synthesis of atomically ordered intermetallic nanoparticles (NPs) is crucial to obtain superior electrocatalytic performance for fuel cell reactions, but still remains arduous. Herein, we demonstrate a novel and general hydrogel‐freeze drying strategy for the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported Pt₃M (M=Mn, Cr, Fe, Co, etc.) intermetallic NPs (Pt₃M/rGO‐HF) with ultrasmall particle size (about 3 nm) and dramatic monodispersity. The formation of hydrogel prevents the aggregation of graphene oxide and significantly promotes their excellent dispersion, while a freeze‐drying can retain the hydrogel derived three‐dimensionally (3D) porous structure and immobilize the metal precursors with defined atomic ratio on GO support during solvent sublimation, which is not afforded by traditional oven drying. The subsequent annealing process produces rGO supported ultrasmall ordered Pt₃M intermetallic NPs (≈3 nm) due to confinement effect of 3D porous structure. Such Pt₃M intermetallic NPs exhibit the smallest particle size among the reported ordered Pt‐based intermetallic catalysts. A detailed study of the synthesis of ordered intermetallic Pt₃Mn/rGO catalyst is provided as an example of a generally applicable method. This study provides an economical and scalable route for the controlled synthesis of Pt‐based intermetallic catalysts, which can pave a way for the commercialization of fuel cell technologies.     

Au/Pt and Au/Pt3Ni nanowires as self-supported electrocatalysts with high activity and durability for oxygen reduction

Novel Au/Pt and Au/Pt(3)Ni nanostructures consisting of Pt and Pt(3)Ni alloy nanodendrites grown on Au nanowires were synthesized, which exhibited high electrocatalytic activity and durability toward oxygen reduction when used as self-supported catalysts.     

Enhanced electrochemical activity for ethanol oxidation on the carbon-supported Pt3Te nanocatalysts by addition of Ru

Ternary Pt–Te–Ru catalysts with different atomic ratios were synthesized by reducing the precursor with formic acid. The physical and electrochemical characterization of the Pt₃TeRu_0.25/C catalyst was performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy equipped with TEM (TEM-EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, ethanol oxidation, and CO stripping. In TEM images, the Pt₃TeRu_0.25/C nanoparticles with an average particle size of around 2.9 nm were well dispersed on the carbon support. The Pt₃TeRu_0.25/C catalyst was superior to the Pt₃Te/C catalyst in respect of catalytic activity, durability, and CO tolerance. The positive effect of the Ru presence in the Pt₃TeRu_0.25/C catalyst was ascribed to the interactions of Ru or Ru oxides.     

Co-deposits of Pt and Bi on Au disk toward formic acid oxidation

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Presented in this work is an investigation of co-deposits of Pt and Bi on Au disk (Pt-Bi/Au) toward formic acid oxidation (FAO) using voltammetry and X-ray...     

Highly efficient AuPd–WC/C electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation

A composite material of AuPd–WC/C has been rapidly prepared by the intermittent microwave heating (IMH) method. The material is nanostructured and well dispersed on carbon according to the SEM and TEM measurements. The activity of the AuPd–WC/C electrocatalyst for the oxidation of ethanol in alkaline solution is significantly higher than that of Pt/C at the same total electrocatalyst loadings. The onset potential shifts towards negative side for 200 mV and the peak current density increases ∼3 times for the ethanol oxidation reaction on AuPd–WC/C electrocatalysts as compared to that on Pt/C. In addition, the AuPd–WC/C electrocatalyst is more stable under constant current density polarization than that of Pt/C. It indicates that no strongly adsorbed species formed during the oxidation of ethanol on AuPd–WC/C because the cleavage of the C–C bond of the ethanol is difficult on this Pt-free electrocatalyst. The high activity makes AuPd–WC/C electrocatalyst a potential candidate for the application in direct ethanol fuel cells and ethanol sensors.     

Promotional effect of Snad on the ethanol oxidation at Pt3Sn/C catalyst

Oxidation of ethanol was studied at Sn_ad modified and unmodified Pt₃Sn/C and Pt/C catalysts. Pt₃Sn/C and Pt/C catalysts were characterized by XRD. Potentiodynamic and chronoamperometric measurements were used to establish catalytic activity and stability. High activity achieved at Sn_ad modified Pt₃Sn/C catalyst has not been observed at any bimetallic catalyst so far. Promotional effect of Sn_ad on the ethanol oxidation was related to the enhancement of CO oxidation rate in bifunctional mechanism. It was shown that electrodeposited Sn exhibited different effect on the catalytic activity compared to Sn in alloy.     

Single-Cu-atoms anchored on 3D macro-porous carbon matrix as efficient catalyst for oxygen reduction and Pt co-catalyst for methanol oxidation

Single metal atoms immobilized on a carbon substrate are of great potential for enhancing the catalytic activities for oxygen reduction and methanol oxidation reactions（ORR/MOR） owing to the maximized atom utilization. Herein, single copper atoms（SCAs） are loaded on macro-porous nitrogen-doped carbon（Cu-NC） derived from zeolitic imidazolate framework-8（ZIF-8）, which are used as catalysts for ORR and Pt-supports for MOR. For ORR, the catalyst marked as Cu-NC-3 exhibits a higher peak potential of ...     

Bimetallic clusters Pt6Au: geometric and electronic structures within density functional theory

Within density functional theory at the general gradient approximation for exchange and correlation (BPW91) and the relativistic 19-electron Los Alamos National Laboratory effective core pseudopotentials and basis sets (3s3p2d), the geometric and electronic structures of Pt(6)Au bimetallic clusters have been studied in detail in comparison with Pt(7). A total of 38 conformations for Pt(6)Au are located. The most stable conformation for Pt(6)Au is a sextet with an edge- and face-capped trigonal bipyramid, in which the Au atom caps an edge of the trigonal bipyramid. Pt(6)Au, in general, prefers a three-dimensional geometry and high spin electronic state with multireference character. The electronic impact of the doping of Au in Pt clusters on the overall chemical activity of the doped bimetallic cluster is not as significant as that of the doping of Pt in Au clusters; however, the doping of Au lowers the chemical activity, thus enhancing the chemoselectivity in the gas phase, of PtAu bimetallic clusters.     

A highly efficient phase transfer method for preparing alkylamine-stabilized Ru, Pt, and Au nanoparticles

A highly efficient phase-transfer method was developed to prepare alkylamine-stabilized nanoparticles of several noble metals. This method involved first mixing the metal hydrosols and an ethanol solution of dodecylamine and then extracting the dodecylamine-stabilized metal nanoparticles into toluene. The efficiency of this phase-transfer method was nearly 100%. Alkylamine-stabilized Ru, Pt, and Au nanoparticles 3.45, 4.33, and 7.89 nm in diameter, respectively, could be prepared this way. The self-assembly of dodecylamine-stabilized Pt and Au particles was also detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).     

Intermetallic Pt2Si: magnetron-sputtering preparation and electrocatalysis toward ethanol oxidation

Although most transition metals have been tested as the promoter to Pt for electrocatalysis toward fuel cell reactions, semi-conductor elements, such as Si, have hitherto not been examined. Here we report a simple synthesis of intermetallic Pt₂Si electrode using magnetron sputtering and the electrocatalysis toward ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). In comparison to Pt, the intermetallic Pt₂Si surface turns out to be much more active in catalyzing the EOR: the onset potential shifts negatively by 150 mV, and the current density at 0.6 V increases by a magnitude of one order. Such an enormous enhancement in EOR catalysis is ascribed to the promotion effects of Si, which can not only provide active surface oxygenated species to accelerate the removal of CO_ads, but also strongly alter the electronic property of Pt, as clearly indicated by the core-level shift in XPS spectrum.     

Binary clusters AuPt and Au6Pt: structure and reactivity within density functional theory

Within density functional theory with the general gradient approximation for the exchange and correlation, the bimetallic clusters AuPt and Au(6)Pt have been studied for their structure and reactivity. The bond strength of AuPt lies between those of Au(2) and Pt(2), and it is closer to that of Au(2). The Pt atom is the reactive center in both AuPt and AuPt(+) according to electronic structure analysis. AuPt(+) is more stable than AuPt. Au(6)Pt prefers electronic states with low multiplicity. The most stable conformation of Au(6)Pt is a singlet and has quasi-planar hexagonal frame with Pt lying at the hexagonal center. The doping of Pt in Au cluster enhances the chemical regioselectivity of the Au cluster. The Pt atom essentially serves as electron donor and the Au atoms bonded to the Pt atom acts as electron acceptor in Au(6)Pt. The lowest triplet of edge-capped rhombus Au(6)Pt clusters is readily accessible with very small singlet-triplet energy gap (0.32 eV). O(2) prefers to adsorb on Au and CO prefers to adsorb on Pt. O(2) and CO have stronger adsorption on AuPt than they do on Au(6)Pt. CO has a much stronger adsorption on AuPt bimetallic cluster than O(2) does. The adsorption of CO on Pt modifies the geometry of AuPt bimetallic clusters.     

DFT studies of Pt/Au bimetallic clusters and their interactions with the CO molecule

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to study Pt/Au clusters of different size, structure, and composition as well as their interactions with a CO molecule. Among the Pt/Au isomers studied here, the planar structure is the most stable structure in many Pt compositions, although three-dimensional structures become more stable with increasing Pt composition. Furthermore, structures with the Pt atoms surrounded by Au atoms are more stable among homotops. However, these conclusions will be altered if ligands are attached to the Pt/Au bimetallic clusters, as evidenced from the results of CO adsorption. When both Au and Pt sites are exposed, CO adsorption at the Pt site is stronger. If only a Au site is available for CO adsorption, the strongest adsorption occurs at approximately 25% Pt composition, which may correlate with the experimentally observed reactivity of the core-shell structured Pt/Au nanoparticles.     

Nanostructured Pt supported on cocoon-derived carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation

Development of suitable supports has been proven as an important preparation process for high active catalysts of fuel cell. In this work, a carbon material was prepared by pyrolyzing cocoons with ferric chloride as activator, and then Pt nanoparticles (ca. 50 wt.%) were deposited on its surface. The characteristics of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy showed that the face-centered cubic structured Pt nanoparticles with nano-sized crystals interconnected each other via grain boundaries were formed on the surface of pyrolyzed cocoons. Afterwards, electrochemical results demonstrate that the nanostructured Pt supported on this support exhibits higher catalytic activity and CO tolerance than Pt nanoparticles supported on Vulcan carbon for methanol oxidation reaction.     

Pt及其修饰电极上乙醇吸附和氧化的CV和EQCM研究

运用电化学循环伏安和石英晶体微天平研究了乙醇在Pt电极和以Sb,S吸附原子修饰的Pt(Pt/Sbad和Pt/Sad)电极上的吸附和氧化过程。结果表明乙醇的氧化与电极表面氧物种有着极其密切的关系。Pt电极表面Sb吸附原子能在较低的电位下吸附氧,可显著提高乙醇电催化氧化活性。相反,Pt电极表面S吸附原子的氧化会消耗表面氧物种,抑制了乙醇的电氧化。本文从表面质量变化提供了吸附原子电催化作用的新数据。