An NMR investigation of CO tolerance in a Pt/Ru fuel cell catalyst.

We report the first combined application of solid-state electrochemical NMR (EC NMR), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and potentiostatic current generation to investigate the topic of the ruthenium promotion of MeOH electro-oxidation over nanoscale platinum catalysts. The CV and EC NMR results give evidence for two types of CO: CO on essentially pure Pt and CO on Pt/Ru islands. There is no NMR evidence for rapid exchange between the two CO populations. CO molecules on the primarily Pt domains behave much like CO on pure Pt, with there being little effect of Ru on the Knight shift or on Korringa relaxation. In sharp contrast, COs on Pt/Ru have highly shifted (13)C NMR resonances, much weaker Korringa relaxation, and, at higher temperatures, they undergo thermally activated surface diffusion. For CO on Pt, the correlation observed between the 2pi* Fermi level local density of states and the steady-state current suggests a role for Ru in weakening the Pt-CO bond, thereby increasing the CO oxidation rate (current). The combined EC NMR/electrochemistry approach thus provides new insights into the promotion of CO tolerance in Pt/Ru fuel cell catalysts, in addition to providing a novel route to investigating promotion in heterogeneous catalysis in general.     

Diffusion on a nanoparticle surface as revealed by electrochemical NMR

Surface diffusion of chemisorbed CO (from MeOH electrochemisorption) on pure and Ru-modified nanoscale Pt electrocatalyst surfaces has been investigated by solid-state electrochemical NMR (EC-NMR) in the presence of supporting electrolyte. Temperature-dependent nuclear spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation measurements enable the diffusion activation energy, E, to be deduced. It is shown that the activation energy E correlates with the steady state current for MeOH electro-oxidation. A simple two-dimensional collision theory model is proposed to explain this intriguing observation, which may provide new mechanistic insights into the promotion of CO-tolerance in Pt/Ru fuel cell catalysts.     

In situ FTIR study on the formation and adsorption of CO on alumina-supported noble metal catalysts from H2 and CO2 in the presence of water vapor at high pressures

The formation and adsorption of CO from CO(2) and H(2) at high pressures were studied over alumina-supported noble metal catalysts (Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru) by in situ FTIR measurements. To examine the effects of surface structure of supported metal particles and water vapor on the CO adsorption, FTIR spectra were collected at 323 K with untreated and heat (673 K) treated catalysts in the absence and presence of water (H(2)O, D(2)O). It was observed that the adsorption of CO occurred on all the metal catalysts at high pressures, some CO species still remained adsorbed under ambient conditions after the high pressure FTIR measurements, and the frequencies of the adsorbed CO species were lower either for the heat treated samples or in the presence of water vapor. It is assumed that the CO absorption bands on atomically smoother surfaces appear at lower frequencies and that water molecules are adsorbed more preferentially on atomically rough surfaces rather than CO species.     

Dynamics of CO at the solid/liquid interface studied by modeling and simulation of CO electro-oxidation on Pt and PtRu electrodes

We consider theoretical models for CO monolayer oxidation on stepped Pt single-crystal electrodes and Ru-modified Pt(111) electrodes. For both systems, our aim is to assess the importance of CO surface diffusion in reproducing the experimental chronoamperometry or voltammetry. By comparing the simulations with the experimental chronoamperometric transients for CO oxidation on a series of stepped Pt surfaces, it was concluded that mixing of CO on the Pt(111) terrace is good, implying rapid diffusion (N. P. Lebedeva, M. T. M. Koper, J. M. Feliu and R. A. van Santen, J. Phys. Chem. B, submitted). We discuss here a more detailed model in which the CO adsorbed on steps is converted into CO adsorbed on terraces as the oxygen-containing species occupy the steps (as observed experimentally on stepped Pt in UHV), followed by a subsequent oxidation of the latter, to reproduce the observed chronoamperometry on stepped surfaces with a higher step density. On Ru-modified Pt(111), the experimentally observed splitting of the CO stripping voltammetry into two stripping peaks, may suggest a slow diffusion of CO on Pt(111). This apparent contradiction with the conclusions of the experiments on stepped surfaces, is resolved by assuming a weaker CO binding to a Pt atom which has Ru neighbors than to "bulk" Pt(111), in agreement with recent quantum-chemical calculations. This makes the effective diffusion from the uncovered Pt(111) surface to the perimeter of the Ru islands, which are considered to be the active sites in CO oxidation electrocatalysis on PtRu surfaces, very slow. Different models for the reaction are considered, and discussed in terms of their ability to explain experimental observations.     

An NMR determination of CO diffusion on platinum electrocatalysts

We report the first direct measurement of CO diffusion on nanoparticle Pt electrocatalysts at the solid/liquid interface, carried out using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with a spin-labeling pulse sequence. Diffusion parameters were measured in the temperature range of 253-293 K for CO adsorbed on commercial Pt-black under saturation coverage. 2H NMR of the same system indicates that the electrolyte remains in the liquid state at temperatures where the CO diffusion experiments were performed. The CO diffusion parameters follow typical Arrhenius behavior with an activation energy of 6.0 +/- 0.4 kcal/mol and a pre-exponential factor of (1.1 +/- 0.6) x 10-8 cm2/s. Exchange between different CO populations, driven by a chemical potential gradient, is suggested to be the main mechanism for CO diffusion. The presence of the electrolyte medium considerably slows down the diffusion of CO as compared to that seen on surfaces of bulk metals under UHV conditions. This work opens up a new approach to the study of surface diffusion of adsorbed molecules on nanoparticle electrode catalysts, including the possibility of correlating diffusion parameters to catalytic activity in real world applications of broad general interest.     

Surface structural and chemical characterization of Pt/Ru composite electrodes: a combined study by XPS, STM and IR spectroscopy

Electrochemical Ru deposits on Pt(111) surfaces are investigated by STM; the images of the Ru-modified surfaces show islands of monoatomic height and between 2–5 nm in diameter. The density of islands on the surface depends on the Ru deposition potential (observed by STM and XRSD) and the cyclic voltammograms indicate an increasing Ru coverage for lower deposition potentials. The Ru surface coverage is determined by ex-situ XPS measurements and a linear dependence of the Ru coverage on the deposition potential is demonstrated. IR spectra of a monolayer of adsorbed CO on the Ru-modified Pt(111) surfaces show distinct bands for CO adsorbed on Pt and on Ru. For the integrated band intensity of the CO/Ru vibration a linear dependence on deposition potential is found indicating that lateral dipole interactions between CO adsorbed on Pt and Ru are unimportant and that the CO coverage on the Ru islands is constant for the Ru coverages investigated. The possibility of using adsorbate vibrational bands for the determination of the coverage of deposits is discussed. Received: 24 June 1996 / Revised: 6 December 1996 / Accepted: 12 December 1996     

Observation of selenium-77 nuclear magnetic resonance in octaneselenol-protected gold nanoparticles

We report the first observation of 77Se nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in octaneselenol-protected Au nanoparticles of an average particle size of 2.5 nm. The 77Se NMR characteristics observed, i.e., broad line shape, fast nuclear spin-lattice, and spin-spin relaxation rates, which are reminiscent of 13C NMR of CO on transition metal surfaces, strongly suggest that Se becomes metallic upon binding to the Au nanoparticle surfaces.     

Carbon monoxide adsorption on Ru-modified Pt surfaces: time-resolved infrared reflection absorption studies in ultrahigh vacuum

The vibrational spectra of CO adsorbed on Ru-modified Pt(100) surfaces prepared by chemical vapor deposition (condensation of Ru(3)(CO)(12) at 105 K followed by X-ray irradiation and thermal decomposition at 650 K in ultrahigh vacuum, UHV) was investigated by time-resolved infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) in UHV. Spectra were recorded while Ru/Pt(100) bimetallic surfaces (theta(Ru) = 0.24 and 0.52 by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS) were dosed with gas-phase CO. Analysis of the data revealed that for a wide range of calibrated CO exposures, the linear CO-stretching region displays two features: a higher energy peak (2085-2100 cm(-1)), attributed to CO adsorbed on pristine Pt(100) sites, and a lower energy peak (2066-2092 cm(-1)), ascribed to adsorption of CO on sites on the surface induced by the presence of Ru. Similar experiments were performed on bimetallic specimens annealed repeatedly in UHV to 650 K to promote partial Ru dissolution into the lattice and thus render surfaces gradually enriched in Pt. For all surfaces and CO exposures examined, the total integrated area under the two CO spectral features remained fairly constant and equal in value to the corresponding areas found for bare Pt(100). If it is assumed that a fixed exposure leads to a fixed coverage on both bare and Ru-modified Pt(100)surfaces, and the thermal treatment leads to an exchange of Ru by Pt sites without altering significantly the total number of metal sites on the surface, the absorption cross sections for both of these peaks are virtually the same.     

Electrocatalysis on binary alloys: II. Oxidation of molecular hydrogen on supported Pt+Ru alloys

The electrocatalytic properties of Pt+Ru alloys supported on graphitized carbon have been studied using oxide-free metal alloys that have been well characterized for phase identification, specific metal surface area, and surface composition. The CO tolerance of the Pt+Ru alloys for the oxidation of CO contaminated hydrogen in hot concentrated H₃PO₄ increases monotonically with Ru content of the surface and is a direct result of a decreasing coverage of the alloy by adsorbed CO. Furthermore, the strength of bonding of adsorbed CO with the metal surface decreases dramatically with increasing Ru content in the surface. The absolute activity of Pt+Ru alloys for the oxidation of CO contaminated hydrogen is a complex function of temperature and electrode potential. At 160°C, pure Pt is the most active catalyst at all potentials, but at temperatures lower than 120°C the reaction-limiting current for pure Ru exceeds that of pure Pt. At any temperature from 110–160°C or any electrode potential from 0–0.3V (HE), the variation of electrocatalytic activity with alloy composition indicates only dilution of the activity of the more active component.     

Ru膜上Pt层的自发沉积及其在电化学表面增强红外光谱中的应用

采用自发沉积法在Ru膜上生成超薄Pt层(简称Ru/Pt膜), 即在开路状态下将电化学还原后的Ru膜浸于除去氧的H2PtCl6溶液中进行自发沉积. 电化学伏安法测量表明, 随着电还原-自发沉积循环次数的增加, 该Ru/Pt膜电极所含Pt组分增加, 且CO吸附层的电氧化峰电位较Pt膜电极上的明显负移. 应用现场衰减全反射表面增强红外光谱法(ATR-SEIRAS)可轻易检测到在该膜电极Pt和Ru位上吸附CO的振动谱峰. 所制Ru/Pt膜电极不仅对CO的电催化氧化具有协同效应, 还可应用于现场ATR-SEIRAS的研究中.     

Adsorption energetics of CO on supported Pd nanoparticles as a function of particle size by single crystal microcalorimetry

The heat of adsorption and sticking probability of CO on well-defined Pd nanoparticles were measured as a function of particle size using single crystal adsorption microcalorimetry. Pd particles of different average sizes ranging from 120 to 4900 atoms per particle (or from 1.8 to 8 nm) and Pd(111) were used that were supported on a model in situ grown Fe(3)O(4)/Pt(111) oxide film. To precisely quantify the adsorption energies, the reflectivities of the investigated model surfaces were measured as a function of the thickness of the Fe(3)O(4) oxide layer and the amount of deposited Pd. A substantial decrease of the binding energy of CO was found with decreasing particle size. Initial heat of adsorption obtained on the virtually adsorbate-free surface was observed to be reduced by about 20-40 kJ mol(-1) on the smallest 1.8 nm sized Pd particles as compared to the larger Pd clusters and the extended Pd(111) single crystal surface. This effect is discussed in terms of the size-dependent properties of the Pd nanoparticles. The CO adsorption kinetics indicates a strong enhancement of the adsorbate flux onto the metal particles due to a capture zone effect, which involves trapping of adsorbates on the support and diffusion to metal clusters. The CO adsorption rate was found to be enhanced by a factor of ～8 for the smallest 1.8 nm sized particles and by ～1.4 for the particles of 7-8 nm size.     

Dinuclear ruthenium and iron complexes containing palladium and platinum with tri-tert-butylphosphine ligands: synthesis, structures, and bonding

The reaction of Pd(PBu(t)(3))(2) with Ru(CO)(5) yielded the dipalladium-diruthenium cluster complex Ru(2)(CO)(9)[Pd(PBu(t)(3))](2), 10. The reaction of Pt(PBu(t)(3))(2) with Ru(CO)(5) at room temperature afforded the diplatinum-diruthenium cluster complex Ru(2)(CO)(9)[Pt(PBu(t)(3))](2), 12, and the monoplatinum-diruthenium cluster PtRu(2)(CO)(9)(PBu(t)(3)), 11. All three complexes contain a diruthenium group with bridging Pd(PBu(t)(3)) or Pt(PBu(t)(3)) groups. Compound 11 can be converted to 12 by reaction with an additional quantity of Pt(PBu(t)(3))(2). The reaction of 12 with hydrogen at 68 degrees C yielded the dihydrido complex Pt(2)Ru(2)(CO)(8)(PBu(t)(3))(2)(micro-H)(2), 13. This complex contains a Ru(2)Pt(2) cluster with hydride ligands bridging two of the Ru-Pt bonds. The reaction of Fe(2)(CO)(9) with Pt(PBu(t)(3))(2) yielded the platinum-diiron cluster complex PtFe(2)(CO)(9)(PBu(t)(3)), 14, which is analogous to 11. All new complexes were characterized crystallographically. Molecular orbital calculations of 10 reveal an unusual delocalized metal-metal bonding system involving the Pd(PBu(t)(3)) groups and the Ru(2)(CO)(9) group.     

13C NMR spectroscopy of 13C1-labeled octanethiol-protected Au nanoparticles: shifts,relaxations, and particle-size effect

We report here an investigation of metal-ligand interactions in nanoparticles with 13C NMR, using a labeled 13C1-octanethiol, a protecting ligand for self-assembled monolayer (SAM) systems, in which close proximity of the 13C1 to the metal surface serves as an effective probe for the changing electronic environment. Several remarkable results have been obtained: as the metal core size increases from 1.6 to 4.0 nm, the 13C1 spectrum is downshifted from 40.5 to 53 ppm, and the spin-spin relaxation rate, T2-1, increases while the spin-lattice relaxation ratio decreases. Although the spin-lattice relaxation may be due to particle tumbling and ligand motion in the liquid state, the main source of the spin-spin relaxation, and NMR shift, is most possibly due to the changing electronic properties of the metal core.     

13C NMR and infrared evidence of a dioctyl-disulfide structure on octanethiol-protected palladium nanoparticle surfaces

On 13C1-labeled octanethiol-protected 2.7 nm Pd nanoparticle surfaces, it has been observed that the 13C1 NMR of the alpha-carbon shows a peak centered around 38 ppm (with respect to tetramethylsilane (TMS)), which virtually coincides with that of the alpha-carbons in a dioctyl-disulfide molecule (39.3 ppm), and the corresponding 13C1 spin-spin relaxation becomes nonexponential. In addition, the infrared spectrum of the same sample shows that the ligands have a 100% gauche conformation, which is also consistent with a dioctyl-disulfide arrangement. By comparing with data obtained on 13C1-labeled octanethiol-protected 2.8 nm Au nanoparticles, we propose that a dioctyl-disulfide structure of the ligands is formed on the octanethiol-protected Pd nanoparticle surface, in contrast to the thiolate structure proposed on the Au nanoparticles. In addition, CO adsorption experiments show no sign of a PdS layer formed on the Pd nanoparticle surface. Furthermore, data taken over a period of more than 1 year show that the Pd nanoparticles are rather stable in organic solvents (for instance benzene), although slow degradation does happen and oxygen seems to play an important role in accelerating the degradation.     

Cluster chemistry: size-dependent reactivity induced by reverse spill-over

In the present work, the CO oxidation rate on size-selected Pd clusters supported on thin MgO films is investigated in pulsed molecular beam experiments. By varying the cluster coverage independent of the cluster size, we were able to change the ratio of direct and diffusion flux (reverse spill-over) of CO onto the cluster catalyst and thus probe the influence of reverse spill-over on the reaction rate for different cluster sizes (Pd(8) and Pd(30)). The experimental results show that the change in reaction rate as a function of cluster coverage is different for Pd(8) and Pd(30). In order to explain these findings, the CO flux onto the clusters is modeled utilizing the collection zone model for the given experimental conditions. The results indicate that, for small clusters (Pd(8)), the reaction probability of an impinging CO molecule is independent of whether it is supplied by diffusion or direct flux. By contrast, for larger clusters (Pd(30)) a reduced reaction probability is found for CO supplied by reverse spill-over compared to CO supplied by direct flux.     

Interaction of CO and deuterium with bimetallic, monolayer Pt-island/film covered Ru(0001) surfaces

The adsorption properties of structurally well defined bimetallic Pt/Ru(0001) surfaces, consisting of a Ru(0001) substrate partly or fully covered by monolayer Pt islands or a monolayer Pt film, were studied by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) using CO and deuterium as probe molecules. Additionally, the adsorption of CO was investigated by infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS). The presence of the pseudomorphic platinum islands or monolayer film leads to considerable modifications of the adsorption properties for both adsorbates, both on the Pt covered and, to a smaller extent, on the bare Ru part of the surfaces. In addition to distinct weakly bound adspecies, which are adsorbed on the monolayer Pt islands, we find unique contributions from island edge desorption, from spill-over processes during the desorption run, and a general down-shift of the peak related to desorption from Pt-free Ru(0001) areas with increasing Pt coverage. These effects, which we consider as characteristic for adsorption on bimetallic surfaces with large contiguous areas of the respective types, are discussed in detail.     

Probing the interface in vapor-deposited bimetallic Pd-Au and Pt-Au films by CO adsorption from the liquid phase

Bimetallic Pd-Au and Pt-Au and monometallic Pd, Pt, and Au films were prepared by physical vapor deposition. The resulting surfaces were characterized by means of XPS, AFM, and CO adsorption from the liquid phase (CH2Cl2) monitored by ATR-IR spectroscopy. CO adsorption combined with ATR-IR proved to be a very sensitive method for probing the degree of interdiffusion occurring at the interfaces whose properties were altered by variation of the Pd and Pt film thickness from 0.2 to 2 nm. Because no CO adsorption was observed on Au, the evaporation of Pt-group metals on Au allowed us to study the effect of dilution on the adsorption properties of the surfaces. At equivalent Pd film thickness, the evaporation of Au reduced the amount of adsorbed CO and caused the formation of 2-fold bridging CO, which was almost absent in monometallic surfaces. Additionally, the average particle size on Pd-Au surfaces was smaller than that on monometallic Pd surfaces. The results indicate that a Pd/Au diffuse interface is formed that affects the Pd particle size even more drastically than the simple decrease in Pd film thickness in monometallic surfaces. Pt-Au surfaces were less sensitive to CO adsorption, indicating that the two metals do not mix to a significant extent. The difference in the interfacial behavior of Pd and Pt in the bimetallic gold films is traced to the largely different Pd-Au and Pt-Au miscibility gaps.     

Probing the crossover in CO desorption from single crystal to nanoparticulate Ru model catalysts

Using model catalysts, we demonstrate that CO desorption from Ru surfaces can be switched from that typical of single crystal surfaces to one more characteristic of supported nanoparticles. First, the CO desorption behaviour from Ru nanoparticles supported on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite was studied. Both mass-selected and thermally evaporated nanoparticles were deposited. TPD spectra from the mass-selected nanoparticles exhibit a desorption peak located around 410 K with a broad shoulder extending from around 480 K to 600 K, while spectra obtained from thermally evaporated nanoparticles exhibit a single broad feature from ～350 K to ～450 K. A room temperature deposited 50 ? thick Ru film displays a characteristic nanoparticle-like spectrum with a broad desorption feature at ～420 K and a shoulder extending from ～450 K to ～600 K. Subsequent annealing of this film at 900 K produced a polycrystalline morphology of flat Ru(001) terraces separated by monatomic steps. The CO desorption spectrum from this surface resembles that obtained on single crystal Ru(001) with two large desorption features located at 390 K and 450 K due to molecular desorption from terrace sites, and a much smaller peak at ～530 K due to desorption of dissociatively adsorbed CO at step sites. In a second experiment, ion sputtering was used to create surface defects on a Ru(0 1 54) single crystal surface. A gradual shift away from the desorption spectrum typical of a Ru(001) surface towards one resembling desorption from supported Ru nanoparticles was observed with increasing sputter time.     

Oxidation state and symmetry of magnesia-supported Pd13O(x) nanocatalysts influence activation barriers of CO oxidation

Combining temperature-programmed reaction measurements, isotopic labeling experiments, and first-principles spin density functional theory, the dependence of the reaction temperature of catalyzed carbon monoxide oxidation on the oxidation state of Pd(13) clusters deposited on MgO surfaces grown on Mo(100) is explored. It is shown that molecular oxygen dissociates easily on the supported Pd(13) cluster, leading to facile partial oxidation to form Pd(13)O(4) clusters with C(4v) symmetry. Increasing the oxidation temperature to 370 K results in nonsymmetric Pd(13)O(6) clusters. The higher symmetry, partially oxidized cluster is characterized by a relatively high activation energy for catalyzed combustion of the first CO molecule via a reaction of an adsorbed CO molecule with one of the oxygen atoms of the Pd(13)O(4) cluster. Subsequent reactions on the resulting lower-symmetry Pd(13)O(x) (x < 4) clusters entail lower activation energies. The nonsymmetric Pd(13)O(6) clusters show lower temperature-catalyzed CO combustion, already starting at cryogenic temperature.     

Kinetically Limited CO Adsorption: Spill-Over as a Highly Effective Adsorption Pathway on Bimetallic Surfaces

We demonstrate that the (local) adsorbed carbon monoxide, CO_ad, coverage on the Pt-free areas of bimetallic Pt/Ru(0001) surfaces (a Ru(0001) substrate partly covered by Pt monolayer islands) can be increased to ∼0.80 monolayers (ML), well above the established saturation CO_ad coverage of 0.68 ML, even under ultrahigh vacuum conditions by using spill-over of CO adsorbed on the Pt islands to the Ru areas as an highly effective adsorption channel. The apparent CO_ad saturation coverage of 0.68 ML on pure Ru(0001) is identified as due to kinetic limitations, hindering further uptake from the gas phase, rather than being caused by thermodynamic reasons. This spill-over mechanism is proposed to be a general phenomenon for adsorption on bimetallic surfaces.