Electrochemical Synthesis of Tetrahexahedral Rhodium Nanocrystals with Extraordinarily High Surface Energy and High Electrocatalytic Activity

Noble metal nanocrystals (NCs) enclosed with high‐index facets hold a high catalytic activity thanks to the high density of low‐coordinated step atoms that they exposed on their surface. Shape‐control synthesis of the metal NCs with high‐index facets presents a big challenge owing to the high surface energy of the NCs, and the shape control for metal Rh is even more difficult because of its extraordinarily high surface energy in comparison with Pt, Pd, and Au. The successful synthesis is presented of tetrahexahedral Rh NCs (THH Rh NCs) enclosed by {830} high‐index facets through the dynamic oxygen adsorption/desorption mediated by square‐wave potential. The results demonstrate that the THH Rh NCs exhibit greatly enhanced catalytic activity over commercial Rh black catalyst for the electrooxidation of ethanol and CO.     

Synthesis of nanocrystals with variable high-index Pd facets through the controlled heteroepitaxial growth of trisoctahedral Au templates

The shape-controlled synthesis of noble metal nanocrystals (NCs) bounded by high-index facets is a current research interest because the products have the potential of significantly improving the catalytic performance of NCs in industrially important reactions. This study reports a versatile method for synthesizing polyhedral NCs enclosed by a variety of high-index Pd facets. The method is based on the heteroepitaxial growth of Pd layers on concave trisoctahedral (TOH) gold NC seeds under careful control of the growth kinetics. Polyhedral Au@Pd NCs with three different classes of high-index facets, including concave TOH NCs with {hhl} facets, concave hexoctahedral (HOH) NCs with {hkl} facets, and tetrahexahedral (THH) NCs with {hk0} facets, can be formed in high yield. The Miller indices of NCs are also modifiable, and we have used the THH NCs as a demonstrative example. The catalytic activities of these NCs were evaluated by the structure-sensitive reaction of formic acid electro-oxidation. The results showed that the high-index facets are generally more active than the low-index facets. In summary, a seeded growth process based on concave high-index faceted monometallic TOH NC templates and careful control of the growth kinetics is a simple and effective strategy for the synthesis of noble metal NCs with high-index facets. It also offers tailorability of the surface structure in shape-controlled synthesis.     

二十四面体Pt纳米晶电极上甲酸解离吸附反应动力学研究

研究了甲酸在二十四面体Pt纳米晶（THHPtNCs）电极表面解离吸附反应过程.电化学原位红外反射光谱结果显示,甲酸在低电位（-0.20V（SCE））即可在THHPtNCs电极上氧化到CO2,同时发生分子内化学键断裂生成吸附态CO物种.运用程序电位阶跃暂态方法定量研究甲酸解离吸附反应动力学,测得5×10^-3mol·L^-1 HCOOH＋0.1mol·L^-1 H2SO4溶液中甲酸在THHPtNCs电极上解离吸附的最大平均速率υamax为13.19×10^-10mol·cm^-2·s^-1,是商品Pt/C催化剂电极上υamax的1.5倍.研究结果揭示了THHPtNCs的反应活性显著高于Pt/C催化剂.     

Ru修饰Pd二十四面体纳米晶的合成及其甲醇电催化氧化性能

表面结构控制和表面异种金属修饰是调控催化剂反应性的重要方法。因此,我们结合高指数晶面结构的高反应性与表面修饰异种金属,合成具有{730}高指数晶面的钯二十四面体纳米晶,并通过循环伏安扫描电沉积法得到Ru修饰的钯二十四面体纳米晶。电化学测试结果表明,低的Ru覆盖度(θ_(Ru)=0.08)可显著提高对碱性介质中甲醇电氧化的催化性能。电化学原位红外光谱结果表明,少量Ru的修饰没有减少CO的生成,而是促进了低电位下甲醇氧化成甲酸根。     

Pt纳米晶上CO电吸附及电氧化的表面增强红外吸收光谱研究

为理解Pt 纳米晶(NCs)表面上吸附与反应的结构效应, 本文利用电化学衰减全反射-表面增强红外吸收光谱(ATR-SEIRAS)初步研究了{100}优先取向的Pt 纳米晶表面CO电吸附和电氧化. 合成并清洗过的Pt 纳米晶在硫酸溶液中的循环伏安图出现了四对氧化还原峰, 其中位于0.26和0.36 V的峰分别对应于短程有序和长程有序Pt{100}上的氢吸脱附. 利用Bi、Ge 不可逆吸附法估算出Pt{100}和Pt{111}纳米晶筹分别占34% 和17%. 在原位红外光谱研究中, 首次分辨出线性吸附的CO (CO_L)物种在Pt 纳米晶的三个基础小晶面上的振动谱峰. 动电位光谱分析结果表明Pt{110}上吸附的CO_L优先电氧化, 其次{111}上的CO_L发生氧化, 而Pt{100}上CO_L氧化过电位最高.     

Kinetics of dissociative adsorption of formic acid on electrodes of tetrahexahedral platinum nanocrystals

In the present paper we study the kinetics of dissociative adsorption of formic acid on the electrode of tetrahexahedral platinum nanocrystals (THH Pt NCs). In situ FTIR spectroscopic results demonstrate that HCOOH can be oxidized to CO2 at a low potential (-0.2 V(SCE)) on the THH Pt NCs electrode, and the chemical bonds inside formic acid molecule are broken to form adsorbed COL species. The kinetics of the dissociative adsorption of HCOOH was quantitatively investigated by employing programmed potential s...     

The First Study on the Reactivity of Water Vapor in Metal–Organic Frameworks with Platinum Nanocrystals

We first studied the reactivity of H₂O vapor in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with Pt nanocrystals (NCs) through the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction. A water‐stable MOF, UiO‐66, serves as a highly effective support material for the WGS reaction compared with ZrO₂. The origin of the high catalytic performance was investigated using in situ IR spectroscopy. In addition, from a comparison of the catalytic activities of Pt on UiO‐66, where Pt NCs are located on the surface of UiO‐66 and Pt@UiO‐66, where Pt NCs are coated with UiO‐66, we found that the competitive effects of H₂O condensation and diffusion in the UiO‐66 play important roles in the catalytic activity of Pt NCs. A thinner UiO‐66 coating further enhanced the WGS reaction activity of Pt NCs by minimizing the negative effect of slow H₂O diffusion in UiO‐66.     

Excavated Cubic Platinum–Tin Alloy Nanocrystals Constructed from Ultrathin Nanosheets with Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity

Excavated polyhedral noble‐metal materials that were built by the orderly assembly of ultrathin nanosheets have both large surface areas and well‐defined facets, and therefore could be promising candidates for diverse important applications. In this work, excavated cubic Pt–Sn alloy nanocrystals (NCs) with {110} facets were constructed from twelve nanosheets by a simple co‐reduction method with the assistance of the surface regulator polyvinylpyrrolidone. The specific surface area of the excavated cubic Pt–Sn NCs is comparable to that of commercial Pt black despite their larger particle size. The excavated cubic Pt–Sn NCs exhibited superior electrocatalytic activity in terms of both the specific area current density and the mass current density towards methanol oxidation.     

Underpotential Deposition‐Induced Synthesis of Composition‐Tunable Pt?Cu Nanocrystals and Their Catalytic Properties

Pt? Cu alloy octahedral nanocrystals (NCs) have been synthesized successfully by using N,N‐dimethylformamide as both the solvent and the reducing agent in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride. Cu underpotential deposition (UPD) is found to play a key role in the formation of the Pt? Cu alloy NCs. The composition in the Pt? Cu alloy can be tuned by adjusting the ratio of metal precursors in solution. However, the Cu content in the Pt? Cu alloy NCs cannot exceed 50 %. Due to the fact that Cu precursor cannot be reduced to metallic copper and the Cu content cannot exceed 50 %, we achieved the formation of the Pt? Cu alloy by using Cu UPD on the Pt surface. In addition, the catalytic activities of Pt? Cu alloy NCs with different composition were investigated in electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid. The results reveal that the catalytic performance is strongly dependent on Pt? Cu alloy composition. The sample of Pt₅₀Cu₅₀ exhibits excellent activity in electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid.     

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.     

Simple replacement reaction for the preparation of ternary Fe(1-x)PtRu(x) nanocrystals with superior catalytic activity in methanol oxidation reaction

The finding of new metal alloyed nanocrystals (NCs) with high catalytic activity and low cost to replace PtRu NCs is a critical step toward the commercialization of fuel cells. In this work, a simple cation replacement reaction was utilized to synthesize a new type of ternary Fe(1-x)PtRu(x) NCs from binary FePt NCs. The detailed structural transformation from binary FePt NCs to ternary Fe(1-x)PtRu(x) NCs was analyzed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Ternary Fe(35)Pt(40)Ru(25), Fe(31)Pt(40)Ru(29), and Fe(17)Pt(40)Ru(43) NCs exhibit superior catalytic ability to withstand CO poisoning in methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) than do binary NCs (FePt and J-M PtRu). Also, the Fe(31)Pt(40)Ru(29) NCs had the highest alloying extent and the lowest onset potential among the ternary NCs. Furthermore, the origin for the superior CO resistance of ternary Fe(1-x)PtRu(x) NCs was investigated by determining the adsorption energy of CO on the NCs' surfaces and the charge transfer from Fe/Ru to Pt using a simulation based on density functional theory. The simulation results suggested that by introducing a new metal into binary PtRu/PtFe NCs, the anti-CO poisoning ability of ternary Fe(1-x)PtRu(x) NCs was greatly enhanced because the bonding of CO-Pt on the NCs' surface was weakened. Overall, our experimental and simulation results have indicated a simple route for the discovery of new metal alloyed catalysts with superior anti-CO poisoning ability and low usage of Pt and Ru for fuel cell applications.     

高指数晶面纳米催化剂的电化学制备及应用

催化剂的性能与其表面结构及组成密切相关,高指数晶面纳米晶的表面含有高密度的台阶原子等活性位点而表现出较高的催化活性. 本文综述了电化学方波电位方法用于Pt、Pd、Rh等贵金属高指数晶面结构纳米晶催化剂的制备、形成机理及其电催化性能的研究. 针对贵金属利用率问题,还着重介绍了具有较高质量活性的小粒径Pt二十四面体的制备. 在此基础上,还介绍了电化学方波电位方法用于低共熔溶剂中制备高指数晶面纳米晶,以及高指数晶面纳米催化剂的表面修饰及应用;最后对高指数晶面纳米催化剂的发展做出了展望.     

Facile Synthesis of Platinum–Cerium(IV) Oxide Hybrids Arched on Reduced Graphene Oxide Catalyst in Reverse Micelles with High Activity and Durability for Hydrolysis of Ammonia Borane

Highly dispersed Pt‐CeO₂ hybrids arched on reduced graphene oxide (Pt‐CeO₂/rGO) were facilely synthesized by a combination of the reverse micelle technique and a redox reaction without any additional reductant or surfactant. Under a N₂ atmosphere, the redox reaction between Ce³⁺ and Pt²⁺ occurs automatically in alkaline solution, which results in the formation of Pt‐CeO₂/rGO nanocomposites (NCs). The as‐synthesized Pt‐CeO₂/rGO NCs exhibit superior catalytic performance relative to that shown by the free Pt nanoparticles, Pt/rGO, Pt‐CeO₂ hybrid, and the physical mixture of Pt‐CeO₂ and rGO; furthermore, the nanocomposites show significantly better activity than the commercial Pt/C catalyst toward the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (NH₃BH₃) at room temperature. Moreover, the Pt‐CeO₂/rGO NCs have remarkable stability, and 92 % of their initial catalytic activity is preserved even after 10 runs. The excellent activity of the Pt‐CeO₂/rGO NCs can be attributed not only to the synergistic structure but also to the electronic effects of the Pt‐CeO₂/rGO NCs among Pt, CeO₂, and rGO.     

Mn3O4 catalyzed growth of polycrystalline Pt nanoparticles and single crystalline Pt nanorods with high index facets

Rarely-observed polycrystalline twinned Pt nanoparticles (NPs) and length-controlled Pt nanorods (NRs) with exposed high index facets were prepared through an unexpectedly catalytic growth approach from low-cost Mn(3)O(4) NPs. The as-prepared Pt NRs exhibit higher catalytic activity and better stability for the oxidization of methanol than commercial Pt/C catalysts, indicating the promise of this catalyst in direct methanol fuel cells.     

具特定晶面且大比表面积贵金属纳米晶催化基元的构筑

贵金属纳米晶在电催化等领域具有广泛应用. 其催化活性往往与纳米晶体的表面结构直接相关,而催化剂的贵金属原子利用率与比表面积密切相关. 因小尺寸纳米晶难以保留特定的晶面,而具有特定表面的纳米晶通常结晶成尺寸较大、比表面积比较小的晶体,调控纳米晶的尺寸和表面结构两种策略似乎相互矛盾. 如何可控合成同时具有特定表面结构和大比表面积的贵金属纳米晶具有重要的意义. 本综述从形貌调控角度详细介绍提高贵金属纳米晶原子利用率的方法策略;总结调控单贵金属及其合金同时具有特定晶面和大比表面积的研究现状;最后,对纳米晶的形貌调控领域未来的发展趋势提出展望.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of ethylene glycol on Pt and Pt-Ru nanoparticles modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The synthesis and characterization of catalysts based on nanomaterials, supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) for ethylene glycol (EG) oxidation is investigated. Platinum (Pt) and platinum-ruthenium (Pt-Ru) nanoparticles are deposited on surface-oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes [Pt/CNT; Pt-Ru/CNT] by the aqueous solution reduction of the corresponding metal salts with glycerol. The electrocatalytic properties of the modified electrodes for oxidation of ethylene glycol in acidic solution have been studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV), and excellent activity is observed. This may be attributed to the small particle size of the metal nanoparticles, the efficacy of carbon nanotubes acting as good catalyst support and uniform dispersion of nanoparticles on CNT surfaces. The nature of the resulting nanoparticles decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis. The cyclic voltammetry response indicates that Pt-Ru/CNT catalyst displays a higher performance than Pt/CNT, which may be due to the efficiency of the nature of Ru species in Pt-Ru systems. The fabricated Pt and Pt-Ru nanoparticles decorated CNT electrodes shows better catalytic performance towards ethylene glycol oxidation than the corresponding nanoparticles decorated carbon electrodes, demonstrating that it is more promising for use in fuel cells.     

Role of Bi promotion and solvent in platinum-catalyzed alcohol oxidation probed by in situ X-ray absorption and ATR-IR spectroscopy

Modification of 5 wt% Pt/Al(2)O(3) by Bi (0.9 wt%) affords a drastic improvement of catalytic activity in the liquid phase aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The nature of the solvent employed, cyclohexane or toluene, seems to influence the catalytic activity as well. We have investigated the catalysts under working conditions using in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), aiming at uncovering the roles of the metal promoter and the reaction medium. XAS confirms that Bi is oxidized more easily than Pt, maintaining the catalytic activity of the metallic Pt sites for a longer period of time. Interestingly, toluene contrary to cyclohexane reduced Pt to a large extent. The freshly reduced noble metal sites seem to directly interact with the solvent, inducing an immediate poisoning of the material and limiting its performance. This behaviour is not observed in the presence of Bi, whose geometric effect (site blocking) is interpreted as additionally limiting the adsorption of toluene and the premature deactivation of Pt. ATR-IR spectroscopy during CO adsorption on Pt and during reaction indicates that Bi is located rather on extended surfaces than on step or kink sites. Side products, CO and benzoate species, appearing during the reaction reveal that the geometric suppression of undesired reactions does not occur to the same extent on Pt-based catalysts as on Pd, suggesting that decarbonylation of the produced aldehyde on Pt may occur also on sites other than the (111) terraces.     

基于银/铂纳米模拟酶表面修饰的铜离子比色检测方法研究

通过对银/铂纳米簇(Ag/Pt NCs)的表面修饰调控其催化活性,建立了一种高灵敏的比色法检测Cu2+.巯基丙酸能够抑制Ag/Pt NCs的催化活性,而巯基丙酸与Cu2+作用后,将导致上述抑制作用减弱.基于上述原理,通过测量Ag/Pt NCs 催化TMB-H2O2反应产生的显色信号,可以实现Cu2+的比色检测.本方法检测Cu2+的线性范围为10～100 nmol/L,检出限(3σ)为5.0 nmol/L.将本方法应用于实际水样中Cu2+的检测,结果表明,本方法具有操作简单、成本低、灵敏度高、特异性好等优点.     

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.     

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.