A simple one-step preparation of high utilization AuPt nanoparticles supported on MWCNTs for methanol oxidation in alkaline medium

A simple one-step preparation of gold–platinum electrocatalysts supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with high utilization is reported. A low Pt loading series of bimetallic AuPt/MWCNTs catalysts were prepared by the improved ethylene glycol reduction method, and then they were compared in terms of the electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry in alkaline solutions. The structure of AuPt/MWCNTs was characterized by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed high Pt utilization, uniform AuPt nanoparticles size and good electrocatalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation. The effect of Au/Pt mass ratio on electrocatalytic activity was also investigated by CV and chronoamperometry. The highest peak current density, lowest onset potential and best anti-poisoning effect for methanol electro-oxidation appeared at the Au/Pt/MWCNTs mass ratio of 2:4:32.     

In Situ Growth of Ultrafine Pt Nanoparticles onto Hierarchical Co3O4 Nanosheet-Assembled Microflowers for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

The development of Pt-based electrocatalysts with high Pt utilization efficiency toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of great significance for the future sustainable hydrogen economy. For rational design of high-performance HER electrocatalyst, the simultaneous consideration of both thermodynamic and kinetic aspects remains greatly challenging. Herein, a simple template-derived strategy is demonstrated for the in situ growth of ultrafine Pt nanoparticles onto Co₃O₄ nanosheet-assembled microflowers (abbreviated as Pt/Co₃O₄ microflowers hereafter) by using the pre-fabricated PtCo-based Hofmann coordination polymer as reactive templates. The elaborate preparation of such intriguing hierarchical architecture with well-dispersed tiny Pt nanoparticles, abundant metal/oxide heterointerfaces and open configuration endows the formed Pt/Co₃O₄ microflowers with high Pt utilization efficiency, rich active sites, lowered energy barrier for water dissociation and expedited reaction kinetics. Consequently, the Pt/Co₃O₄ microflowers exhibit superior HER activity with a relatively low overpotential of 34 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², small Tafel slope (34 mV dec⁻¹) and outstanding electrochemical stability, representing an attractive electrocatalyst for practical water splitting. What's more, our concept of in situ construction of metal/oxide heterointerfaces may provide a new opportunity to design high-performance electrocatalysts for a variety of applications.     

Composition effects of FePt alloy nanoparticles on the electro-oxidation of formic acid

The catalytic activities of FexPt100-x alloy nanoparticles at different compositions (x=10, 15, 42, 54, 58, and 63) in the electro-oxidation of formic acid have been investigated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was observed that the electrocatalytic performance was strongly dependent on the FePt particle composition. In chronoamperometric measurements, the alloy particles at x approximately 50 showed the highest steady-state current density among the catalysts under study and maintained the best long-term stability. In addition, on the basis of the anodic peak current density, onset potentials, and the ratios of the anodic peak current density to the cathodic peak current density in CV studies, the catalytic activity for HCOOH oxidation was found to decrease in the order of Fe42Pt58>Fe54Pt46 approximately Fe58Pt42>Fe15Pt85>Fe10Pt90>Fe63Pt37. That is, within the present experimental context, the alloy nanoparticles at x approximately 50 appeared to exhibit the maximum electrocatalytic activity and stability with optimal tolerance to CO poisoning. Consistent responses were also observed in electrochemical impedance spectroscopic measurements. For the alloy nanoparticles that showed excellent tolerance to CO poisoning, the impedance in the Nyquist plots was found to change sign from positive to negative with increasing electrode potential, suggesting that the electron-transfer kinetics evolved from resistive to pseudoinductive and then to inductive characters. However, for the nanoparticles that were heavily poisoned by adsorbed CO species during formic acid oxidation, the impedance was found to be confined to the first quadrant at all electrode potentials. The present work highlights the influence of the molecular composition of Pt-based alloy electrocatalysts on the performance of formic acid electro-oxidation, an important aspect in the design of bimetal electrocatalysts in fuel cell applications.     

Supported ionic liquid phase-boosted highly active and durable electrocatalysts towards hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic electrolyte

Platinum is generally known as the most effective electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction because it can greatly lower the overpotential and accelerate the reaction kinetics,while its commercial potential always suffers from scarcity,high cost,low utilization,and poor durability particularly in acidic electrolytes.We herein demonstrate a facile method to improve the hydrogen evolution performance of Pt-based electrocatalysts by simply decorating the-state-of-the-art and commercially available Pt/C with hydrophobic protic([DBU][NTf2])or aprotic([BMIm][NTf2])ionic liquid.The current densities of[BMIm]@Pt/C and[DBU-H]@Pt/C with 10% ionic liquid at an overpotential of 40 mV are 2.81 and 4.15 times,respectively,higher than that of the pristine Pt/C.More importantly,ionic liquid-decoration significantly improves the long-term stability of Pt nanoparticles.After 8 h of chronoamperometric measurements,[DBU-H]@Pt/C and[BMIm]@Pt/C can still retain 83.7% and 78.3% of their original activity,respectively,which is much higher than that of the pristine Pt/C(24.4%).The improved performance of Pt/C decorated with ionic liquid is considered to arise from the improved proton conductivity(particularly for protic ionic liquid)and hydrophobic microenvironment created by the supported ionic liquid phase.The presence of ionic liquid layer not only de-coordinates H+from hydronium ions nearby the Pt nanoparticles,but it also protects Pt nanoparticles from dissolution in the acidic media.     

Electrocatalytic performance of fuel oxidation by Pt3Ti nanoparticles

A Pt-based electrocatalyst for direct fuel cells, Pt3Ti, has been prepared in the form of nanoparticles. Pt(1,5-cyclooctadiene)Cl2 and Ti(tetrahydrofuran)2Cl4 are reduced by sodium naphthalide in tetrahydrofuran to form atomically disordered Pt3Ti nanoparticles (FCC-type structure: Fm3m; a = 0.39 nm; particle size = 3 +/- 0.4 nm). These atomically disordered Pt3Ti nanoparticles are transformed to larger atomically ordered Pt3Ti nanoparticles (Cu3Au-type structure: Pm3m; a = 0.3898 nm; particle size = 37 +/- 23 nm) by annealing above 400 degrees C. Both atomically disordered and ordered Pt3Ti nanoparticles show lower onset potentials for the oxidation of formic acid and methanol than either pure Pt or Pt-Ru nanoparticles. Both atomically disordered and ordered Pt3Ti nanoparticles show a much lower affinity for CO adsorption than either pure Pt or Pt-Ru nanoparticles. Atomically ordered Pt3Ti nanoparticles show higher oxidation current densities for both formic acid and methanol than pure Pt, Pt-Ru, or atomically disordered Pt3Ti nanoparticles. Pt3Ti nanoparticles, in particular the atomically ordered materials, have promise as anode catalysts for direct fuel cells.     

A Layer-Structured Metal-Organic Framework-Derived Mesoporous Carbon for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Developing highly active and durable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial to large-scale commercialization of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Here we report a facile approach for the synthesis of nitrogen and oxygen dual-doped mesoporous layer-structured carbon electrocatalyst embedded with graphitic carbon coated cobalt nanoparticles by direct pyrolysis of a layer-structured metal-organic framework. The electrocatalyst prepared at 800℃ exhibits comparable ORR performance to Pt/C catalysts but possesses superior stability to Pt/C catalysts. This synthetic approach provides new prospects in developing sustainable carbon-based electrocatalysts for electrochemical energy conversion devices.     

Platinum nanoparticles supported on zirconia–carbon black nanocomposites for methanol oxidation reaction

Platinum (Pt) nanoparticles supported on zirconia–carbon black nanocomposites (Zr–C), which annealed at different temperatures, used as Pt/Zr–C electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are prepared and characterized in this study. Transmission electron microscope images and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the diameters of Pt nanoparticles are around 3–4 nm. Electrocatalytic MOR performances of these Pt/Zr–C electrocatalysts are investigated by cyclic voltammetry, CO-stripping voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. All the Pt/Zr–C electrocatalysts synthesized in this study exhibited higher MOR efficiency than that of the commercial E-TEK Pt/C electrocatalyst, and the electrocatalyst using Zr–C support annealed at 300 °C, achieving the highest MOR efficiency among all the electrocatalysts.     

Synthesis of Pt and Pt-Fe nanoparticles supported on MWCNTs used as electrocatalysts in the methanol oxidation reaction

This work reports a feasible synthesis of highly-dispersed Pt and Pt-Fe nanoparticles supported on multiwall carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） without Fe and multiwall carbon nanotubes with iron （MWCNTs-Fe） which applied as electrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation. A Pt coordination complex salt was synthesized in an aqueous solution and it was used as precursor to prepare Pt/MWCNTs, Pt/MWCNTs-Fe, and Pt-Fe/MWCNTs using FeC12.4H20 as iron source which were named S 1, S2 and S3, respectively. The coordination complex of platinum （TOA）2PtC16 was obtained by the chemical reaction between （NH4）2PtC16 with tetraoctylammonium bromide （TOAB） and it was characterized by FT-IR and TGA. The materials were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, SEM, EDS, XRD, TEM and TGA. The electrocatalytic activity of Pt-based supported on MWCNTs in the methanol oxidation was investigated by cyclic voltammetry （CV） and chronoamperometry （CA）. Pt-Fe/MWCNTs electrocatalysts showed the highest electrocatalytic activity and stability among the tested electrocatalysts due to that the addition of ＂Fe＂ promotes the OH species adsorption on the electrocatalyst surface at low potentials, thus, enhancing the activity toward the methanol oxidation reaction （MOR）.     

Metal Oxide Promoted Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation

An important research target in DMFCs is to find better catalyst materials that are cheaper, less-prone to poisoning and more catalytically active. In this context, metal oxides with good catalytic properties and stronger interaction with Pt nanoparticles can generate active interfacial regions for electrocatalysis. Pt catalysts promoted by certain metal oxides show enhanced methanol electro-oxidation activity and CO tolerance behavior. In this paper we summarize the recent progress from our laboratory which explored the possibility of developing Pt–MoO₃/C and Pt–Nb₂O₅/C electrocatalysts in acidic media, and Pt–V₂O₅/C electrocatalyst in alkaline media for direct electro-oxidation of methanol. The oxide electrocatalysts have been prepared by a fast and efficient method of loading the metal oxide on carbon black (Vulcan XC-72) employing an intermittent microwave heating (IMH) method. These materials are found to achieve higher activity and stability towards methanol electro-oxidation.     

微乳法合成Pt/C、PtIr/C催化剂及其电化学性能表征

以碳纳米粉(XC-72R)作为载体,采用三种不同方法合成Pt/C负载型催化剂。利用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)、循环伏安法(CV)、恒电位测试(Potentiostatic)以及线性极化分析（Potentiodynamic polarization）等手段进行催化剂表征,结果表明,微乳法制得的负载型催化剂,活性组分的颗粒尺寸为5～10nm,且均匀地分散在载体表面,其电化学性能良好。而微乳法进一步制备的含不同比例的负载型的PtIr/C催化剂,其中以Pt85Ir15表现出更为较好的电化学综合性能。     

Caging Porous Co-N-C Nanocomposites in 3D Graphene as Active and Aggregation-Resistant electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction北大核心CSCD

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the cornerstone reaction of many renewable energy technologies such as fuel cells and rechargeable metal-air batteries.The Pt-based electrocatalysts exhibit the highest activity toward ORR, but their large implementation is greatly prohibiting by unaffordable cost and inferior durability.During electrode manufacturing and electrochemical reaction, severe aggregation of catalyst nanoparticles induced by size effect further limits the operational performance of electrocatalysts.We report a new strategy for fabrication of active and aggregation-resistant ORR electrocatalyst by caging metal-organic frameworks derived Co-N-C nanocomposites in permeable and porous 3D graphene cages via sprayed drying the mixed colloids of ZIF-67 nanoparticles and graphene oxide, followed by annealing.The 3D graphene cages around Co-N-C nanocomposites not only provide a continuous conductive network for charge transfer, but also prevent the active phase from aggregation during electrode manufacturing and electrochemical reactions.When evaluated as an ORR electrocatalyst, the material exhibited comparable activity but superior stability to commercial Pt/C catalyst in an alkaline electrolyte. © 2018 Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.     

Niobium oxide-supported platinum ultra-low amount electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

We demonstrate a new approach to synthesizing high-activity electrocatalysts for the O(2) reduction reaction with ultra low Pt content. The synthesis involves placing a small amount of Pt, the equivalent of a monolayer, on carbon-supported niobium oxide nanoparticles (NbO(2) or Nb(2)O(5)). Rotating disk electrode measurements show that the Pt/NbO(2)/C electrocatalyst has three times higher Pt mass activity for the O(2) reduction reaction than a commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst. The observed high activity of the Pt deposit is attributed to the reduced OH adsorption caused by lateral repulsion between PtOH and oxide surface species. The new electrocatalyst also exhibits improved stability against Pt dissolution under a potential cycling regime (30,000 cycles from 0.6 V to 1.1 V). These findings demonstrate that niobium-oxide (NbO(2)) nanoparticles can be adequate supports for Pt and facilitate further reducing the noble metal content in electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction.     

Highly graphitized carbon-wrapped PtFeCo alloy with enhanced durability and activity toward methanol electro-oxidation

Exploring efficient strategies to construct durable and active Pt-based electrocatalysts toward methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) remains great significance for the application of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Here, we report a facile pyrolysis procedure for fabricating carbon layer wrapped PtFeCo alloy nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNT). Physical characterizations demonstrate that the nitrogen-doped carbon support is highly graphitized and the PtFeCo particles are firmly wrapped by the graphitized carbon. Since the wrapping of highly graphitized carbon effectively prevents PtFeCo alloy from metal dissolution, the durability of the synthesized PtFeCo/Co–NCNT_a catalyst has been substantially improved, remaining about 76% of its initial mass activity after 1000 cycles of durability test in acid condition. In addition, due to the strain and ligand effects caused by alloying Pt with Fe and Co, the PtFeCo/Co–NCNT_a catalyst exhibits a greatly enhanced mass activity of 4.2-fold and a specific activity of 6.3-fold higher than those of commercial Pt/C-JM catalyst. Consequently, this work may provide an effective route for preparing durable and active Pt-based catalysts for methanol electro-oxidation.     

多孔氮化钛载体上铂催化剂的原子层沉积制备及其催化氧气还原性能

为有效解决铂(Pt)催化剂用于氧气还原反应(ORR)面临的催化活性及稳定性问题,本文首先合成了具有良好导电性、电化学稳定以及耐腐蚀等优点的一维多孔氮化钛(Ti N)纳米管载体材料,然后使用原子层沉积技术(ALD)在Ti N载体上沉积制备了Pt催化剂(ALD-Pt/Ti N),所得的Pt纳米颗粒尺寸均匀、高度分散且与Ti N载体之间存在着较强的相互作用。催化氧气还原活性和稳定性测试表明,所得的ALD-Pt/Ti N对ORR具有较高的催化活性,同时兼具良好的稳定性和耐久性。相比商用Pt/C,ALD-Pt/Ti N的起始电位和稳态极限电流密度与其相近,半波电位则高出了20 m V,表现出优异的电催化性能。其优良的电催化性能主要归因于ALD沉积Pt纳米颗粒的高分散性,一维多孔结构Ti N载体的高比表面积、良好导电性和抗腐蚀性能以及ALD-Pt与Ti N载体间较强的相互作用等综合影响。本工作为设计新型高催化活性、高稳定性的Pt基催化剂提供了有益借鉴。     

Platinum monolayer on nonnoble metal-noble metal core-shell nanoparticle electrocatalysts for O2 reduction

We synthesized a new class of O2 electrocatalysts with a high activity and very low noble metal content. They consist of Pt monolayers deposited on the surfaces of carbon-supported nonnoble metal-noble metal core-shell nanoparticles. These core-shell nanoparticles were formed by segregating the atoms of the noble metal on to the nanoparticles' surfaces at elevated temperatures. A Pt monolayer was deposited by galvanic displacement of a Cu monolayer deposited at underpotentials. The mass activity of all the three Pt monolayer electrocatalysts investigated, viz., Pt/Au/Ni, Pt/Pd/Co, and Pt/Pt/Co, is more than order of magnitude higher than that of a state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst. Geometric effects in the Pt monolayer and the effects of PtOH coverage, revealed by electrochemical data, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy data, appear to be the source of the enhanced catalytic activity. Our results demonstrated that high-activity electrocatalysts can be devised that contain only a fractional amount of Pt and a very small amount of another noble metal.     

Synthesis of Pt and Pt-Fe nanoparticles supported on MWCNTs used as electrocatalysts in the methanol oxidation reaction

This work reports a feasible synthesis of highly-dispersed Pt and Pt-Fe nanoparticles supported on multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) without Fe and multiwall carbon nanotubes with iron (MWCNTs-Fe) which applied as electrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation. A Pt coordination complex salt was synthesized in an aqueous solution and it was used as precursor to prepare Pt/MWCNTs, Pt/MWCNTs-Fe, and Pt-Fe/MWCNTs using FeCl₂·4NH₂O as iron source which were named S1, S2 and S3, respectively. The coordination complex of platinum (TOA)₂PtCl₆ was obtained by the chemical reaction between (NH₄)₂PtCl₆ with tetraoctylammonium bromide (TOAB) and it was characterized by FT-IR and TGA. The materials were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, SEM, EDS, XRD, TEM and TGA. The electrocatalytic activity of Pt-based supported on MWCNTs in the methanol oxidation was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). Pt-Fe/MWCNTs electrocatalysts showed the highest electrocatalytic activity and stability among the tested electrocatalysts due to that the addition of ”Fe” promotes the OH species adsorption on the electrocatalyst surface at low potentials, thus, enhancing the activity toward the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR).     

PtRu/C电催化剂上甲醇吸附氧化过程的电化学原位红外光谱

采用调变的多元醇法制备了高分散的Pt/C, PtRu/C和Ru/C电催化剂. XRD计算结果表明, PtRu/C电催化剂的平均粒径和合金度分别为2.2 nm和71%. 采用电化学方法和原位傅里叶变换红外反射光谱方法(in situ FTIRS)研究了甲醇在3种电催化剂上的吸附氧化过程, 发现PtRu/C对甲醇的催化活性明显高于Pt/C, Ru的加入一方面影响了甲醇在Pt上的解离吸附性能, 另一方面提供了Ru-OH物种, 从而抑制了低电位下电催化剂中毒. 红外光谱研究结果表明, 线性吸附态CO(COL)是主要毒化物种, 反应产物主要是CO2, 还有少量的甲酸甲酯. 根据实验结果讨论了甲醇在PtRu/C电催化剂上的氧化机理.     

基于内嵌钴/氮掺杂多孔碳三维石墨烯笼的抗团聚高效氧还原电催化剂

氧还原反应是决定燃料电池、金属-空气电池等多种新型清洁能源存储与转化技术之性能与应用的关键反应. 铂及其合金是目前催化活性最好的氧还原反应催化剂,但其高昂的成本限制了规模化应用. 在小尺寸效应作用下,微纳米结构催化剂颗粒在电极制备与电化学反应过程中的团聚限制了催化剂本征催化活性的充分发挥. 本文基于喷雾热解技术,发展了一种基于内嵌钴/氮掺杂多孔碳三维石墨烯笼的高活性、抗团聚非贵金属氧还原反应催化剂. 此结构中,金属有机骨架化合物ZIF-67衍生的钴/氮掺杂多孔碳纳米结构是催化氧还原反应的活性中心,包覆其外的三维石墨烯笼不仅可在钴/氮掺杂碳纳米结构之间构建连续的三维载流子传导网络,且可高效抑制其在催化剂制备与电化学反应过程中的团聚与活性损失. 在碱性电解液中,此类非贵金属催化剂表现出可与铂基催化剂媲美的氧还原反应活性和优异的稳定性.     

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).     

Au Nanoparticles Modified with Pt,Ru and SnO2 as Electrocatalysts for Ethanol Oxidation Reaction in Acids

The anodic reaction in direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs), ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) faces challenges, such as incomplete electrooxidation of ethanol and high cost of the most efficient electrocatalyst, Pt in acidic media at low temperature. In this study, core‐shell electrocatalysts with an Au core and Pt‐based shell (Au@Pt) are developed. The Au core size and Pt shell thickness play an important role in the EOR activity. The Au size of 2.8 nm and one layer of Pt provide the most optimized performance, having 6 times higher peak current density in contrast to commercial Pt/C. SnO₂ as a support also enhances the EOR activity of Au@Pt by 1.73 times. Further modifying the Pt shell with Ru atoms achieve the highest EOR current density that is 15 and 2.5 times of Pt/C and Au@Pt. Our results suggest the importance of surface modification in rational design of advanced electrocatalysts.