Mixed-metal pt monolayer electrocatalysts for enhanced oxygen reduction kinetics

We have synthesized a new class of electrocatalysts for the O2 reduction reaction, consisting of a mixed monolayer of Pt and another late transition metal (Ir, Ru, Rh, Re, or Os) deposited on a Pd(111) single crystal or on carbon-supported Pd nanoparticles. Several of these mixed monolayer electrocatalysts exhibited very high activity and increased stability of Pt against oxidation, as well as a 20-fold increase in a Pt mass-specific activity, compared with state-of-the-art all-Pt electrocatalysts. Their superior activity and stability reflect a low OH coverage on Pt, caused by the lateral repulsion between the OH adsorbed on Pt and the OH or O adsorbed on neighboring, other than Pt, late transition metal atoms. The origin of this effect was identified through a combination of experimental and theoretical methods, employing electrochemical techniques, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and periodic, self-consistent density functional theory calculations. This new class of electrocatalysts promises to alleviate some major problems of existing fuel cell technology by simultaneously decreasing materials cost and enhancing performance. Our studies suggest a new way of synthesizing improved ORR catalysts through the modification and control of the surface reactivity of Pt-based mixed monolayers supported on transition metals other than Pt. In addition to improving the ORR catalysts, co-depositing oxophilic metals may be a promising possibility for improving a variety of other catalysts.     

Ru-decorated Pt surfaces as model fuel cell electrocatalysts for CO electrooxidation

This feature article concerns Pt surfaces modified (decorated) by ruthenium as model fuel cell electrocatalysts for electrooxidation processes. This work reveals the role of ruthenium promoters in enhancing electrocatalytic activity toward organic fuels for fuel cells, and it particularly concerns the methanol decomposition product, surface CO. A special focus is on surface mobility of the CO as it is catalytically oxidized to CO(2). Different methods used to prepare Ru-decorated Pt single crystal surfaces as well as Ru-decorated Pt nanoparticles are reviewed, and the methods of characterization and testing of their activity are discussed. The focus is on the origin of peak splitting involved in the voltammetric electrooxidation of CO on Ru-decorated Pt surfaces, and on the interpretative consequences of the splitting for single crystal and nanoparticle Pt/Ru bimetallic surfaces. Apparently, screening through the literature allows formulating several models of the CO stripping reaction, and the validity of these models is discussed. Major efforts are made in this article to compare the results reported by the Urbana-Champaign group and the Munich group, but also by other groups. As electrocatalysis is progressively more and more driven by theory, our review of the experimental findings may serve to summarize the state of the art and clarify the roads ahead. Future studies will deal with highly dispersed and reactive nanoscale surfaces and other more advanced catalytic materials for fuel cell catalysis and related energy applications. It is expected that the metal/metal and metal/substrate interactions will be increasingly investigated on atomic and electronic levels, with likewise increasing participation of theory, and the structure and reactivity of various monolayer catalytic systems involving more than two metals (that is ternary and quaternary systems) will be interrogated.     

Circumventing the scaling relationship on bimetallic monolayer electrocatalysts for selective CO2 reduction

Electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into value-added chemicals continues to draw interest in renewable energy applications. Although many metal catalysts are active in the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR), their reactivity and selectivity are nonetheless hindered by the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The competition of the HER and CO₂RR stems from the energy scaling relationship between their reaction intermediates. Herein, we predict that bimetallic monolayer electrocatalysts (BMEs) – a monolayer of transition metals on top of extended metal substrates – could produce dual-functional active sites that circumvent the scaling relationship between the adsorption energies of HER and CO₂RR intermediates. The antibonding interaction between the adsorbed H and the metal substrate is revealed to be responsible for circumventing the scaling relationship. Based on extensive density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we identify 11 BMEs which are highly active and selective toward the formation of formic acid with a much suppressed HER. The H–substrate antibonding interaction also leads to superior CO₂RR performance on monolayer-coated penta-twinned nanowires.

Dual-functional active sites are designed to circumvent the scaling relationship between the HER and CO₂RR on bimetallic monolayer electrocatalysts.     

Pt monolayer electrocatalysts for O2 reduction: PdCo/C substrate-induced activity in alkaline media

We measured the activity of electrocatalysts, comprising Pt monolayers deposited on PdCo/C substrates with several Pd/Co atomic ratios, in the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline solutions. The PdCo/C substrates have a core-shell structure wherein the Pd atoms are segregated at the particle’s surface. The electrochemical measurements were carried out using an ultrathin film rotating disk-ring electrode. Electrocatalytic activity for the O₂ reduction evaluated from the Tafel plots or mass activities was higher for Pt monolayers on PdCo/C compared to Pt/C for all atomic Pd/Co ratios we used. We ascribed the enhanced activity of these Pt monolayers to a lowering of the bond strength of oxygenated intermediates on Pt atoms facilitated by changes in the 5d-band reactivity of Pt. Density functional theory calculations also revealed a decline in the strength of PtOH adsorption due to electronic interaction between the Pt and Pd atoms. We demonstrated that very active O₂ reduction electrocatalysts can be devised containing only a monolayer Pt and a very small amount of Pd alloyed with Co in the substrate. Dedicated to Professor Oleg Petrii on the occasion of his 70th birthday on August 24, 2007.     

Palladium monolayer and palladium alloy electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

We investigated the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) on Pd monolayers on various surfaces and on Pd alloys to obtain a substitute for Pt and to elucidate the origin of their activity. The activity of Pd monolayers supported on Ru(0001), Rh(111), Ir(111), Pt(111), and Au(111) increased in the following order: Pd/Ru(0001) < Pd/Ir(111) < Pd/Rh(111) < Pd/Au(111) < Pd/Pt(111). Their activity was correlated with their d-band centers, which were calculated using density functional theory (DFT). We found a volcano-type dependence of activity on the energy of the d-band center of Pd monolayers, with Pd/Pt(111) at the top of the curve. The activity of the non-Pt Pd2Co/C alloy electrocatalyst nanoparticles that we synthesized was comparable to that of commercial Pt-containing catalysts. The kinetics of the ORR on this electrocatalyst predominantly involves a four-electron step reduction with the first electron transfer being the rate-determining step. The downshift of the d-band center of the Pd "skin", which constitutes the alloy surface due to the strong surface segregation of Pd at elevated temperatures, determined its high ORR activity. Additionally, it showed very high methanol tolerance, retaining very high catalytic activity for the ORR at high concentrations of methanol. Provided its stability is satisfactory, this catalyst might possibly replace Pt in fuel-cell cathodes, especially those of direct methanol oxidation fuel cells (DMFCs).     

Reduction of Pt usage in fuel cell electrocatalysts with carbon nanotube electrodes

The 12 wt% Pt-deposited carbon nanotube electrode gives 10% higher voltages than 29 wt% Pt-deposited carbon black and reduces the Pt usage by 60% in polymer electrolyte fuel cells with hydrogen and oxygen.     

质子交换膜燃料电池Pt纳米线电催化剂研究现状

质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)能直接将化学能转换为电能,具有能量转换效率高、环境友好、启动快等优点.其中电催化剂是决定PEMFC性能、寿命及成本的关键材料之一.目前所采用的Pt催化剂成本较高,是阻碍其商业化的主要因素.而Pt纳米线电催化剂的Pt利用率和催化剂活性高,抗CO毒性以及耐久性好.本文综述了Pt纳米线电催化剂的制备及其电化学催化性能的研究现状.     

Improvement of oxygen reduction reaction and methanol tolerance characteristics for PdCo electrocatalysts by Au alloying and CO treatment

The mass ORR activity of CO heat-treated PdCoAu/C catalysts, compared to Pd/C, is enhanced approximately 6-fold, and even 25-fold in a methanol containing environment due to the formation of delicate PdCo and PdAu alloys enriched in the core and PdAu alloy species enriched on the shell structure.     

Carbon-supported shape-controlled Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts for direct alcohol fuel cells

The demand for power sources alternative to fossil fuels makes urgent the development of more efficient electrocatalysts for fuel cells applications and the maximization of the performances of the existent ones. This work reports, for the first time, the use of carbon-supported shape-controlled Pt nanoparticles as anode catalysts in direct ethanol fuel cells. By using cubic Pt nanoparticles, on which (100) surface sites are predominant, the performance of the fuel cell can be increased from 14 to 24 mW per mg of Pt when compared with cuboctahedral nanoparticles. Moreover, the open circuit potential shifts about 50 mV toward more positive potentials. In comparison with commercially available Pt catalysts, the performance for the (100) preferentially oriented nanoparticles is about three times higher. The reported results evidence that, from an applied point of view, the effect of the surface structure/shape of the electrocatalysts can be also considered to improve the performance of real fuel cell systems.     

Butylphenyl-functionalized Pt nanoparticles as CO-resistant electrocatalysts for formic acid oxidation

Butylphenyl-functionalized Pt nanoparticles (Pt-BP) with an average core diameter of 2.93 ± 0.49 nm were synthesized by the co-reduction of butylphenyl diazonium salt and H(2)PtCl(4). Cyclic voltammetric studies of the Pt-BP nanoparticles showed a much less pronounced hysteresis between the oxidation currents of formic acid in the forward and reverse scans, as compared to that on naked Pt surfaces. Electrochemical in situ FTIR studies confirmed that no adsorbed CO, a poisoning intermediate, was generated on the Pt-BP nanoparticle surface. These results suggest that functionalization of the Pt nanoparticles by butylphenyl fragments effectively blocked the CO poisoning pathway, most probably through third-body effects, and hence led to an apparent improvement of the electrocatalytic activity in formic acid oxidation.     

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.     

Two-dimensional Pt2P3 monolayer: A promising bifunctional electrocatalyst with different active sites for hydrogen evolution and CO2 reduction

Green hydrogen production and CO₂ fixation have been identified as the fundamental techniques for sustainable economy. The open challenge is to develop high performance catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and CO₂ electroreduction (CO₂ER) to valuable chemicals. Under such context, this work reported computational efforts to design promising electrocatalyst for HER and CO₂ER based on the swarm-intelligence algorithm. Among the family of transition-metal phosphides (TMPs), Pt₂P₃ monolayer has been identified as excellent bifunctional catalysts due to high stability, excellent conductivity and superior catalytic performance. Different from typical d-block catalysts, p-band center presented by P atoms within Pt₂P₃ monolayer plays the essential role for its reactivity towards HER and CO₂ER, underlining the key value of p-electrons in advanced catalyst design and thus providing a promising strategy to further develop novel catalysts made of p-block elements for various energy applications.     

Copper-indium hydroxides derived electrocatalysts with tunable compositions for electrochemical CO2 reduction

Bimetallic Cu-In hybrid electrocatalysts are promising noble metal-free catalysts for selective electrochem-ical CO2 reduction reaction (ECO2RR).Most reports sh...     

铂合金氧还原催化剂:合成、结构和性能

质子交换膜燃料电池是一种将燃料中的化学能直接转化为电能的装置,它具有转化效率高、能量密度高、低温启动、易于操作等优点,因而被认为是最具发展前景的新能源利用方式,在电动汽车、便携电源及分散式电站有着广泛应用.但是,目前质子交换膜燃料电池技术的发展面临着巨大挑战,主要问题包括高成本、低功率密度和低寿命.众所周知,质子交换膜燃料电池中的阴极氧还原反应在酸性条件下是一个复杂的四电子过程,动力学速度缓慢,限制了电池的最终性能.目前大量使用的阴极氧还原催化剂是细小的铂或铂合金纳米颗粒负载在碳载体上,其成本占燃料电池总成本的比例最大.制约燃料电池商业化发展的另一个重要问题是电池寿命低,其中氧还原催化剂的稳定性是决定电池寿命的主要因素.在这样的研究背景下,如何降低催化剂中铂的用量、提高催化剂活性和稳定性显得尤为重要,这也是近年来国内外学者研究的热点.在铂基合金催化剂中,通常采用过渡金属元素作为掺杂元素,由于原子半径不匹配(几何效应)以及电子结构不同(电子效应),合金催化剂表现出优于纯铂催化剂的催化性能.近几年,对于铂基合金催化剂的研究已取得重大进展,以合金组成和结构研究为基础,通过精确控制原子结构、调控表面电子状态以及制备工艺,获得了各种特殊形貌的催化剂,大大提高了催化活性.本文深入综述了近年来铂基合金氧还原催化剂制备、形貌和性能,特别关注了催化剂形貌和催化活性之间的关系.值得注意的是,具有有序原子排列的铂合金催化剂不仅在半电池中表现出优异活性,在实际质子交换膜燃料电池中也显示了很好的活性和稳定性.另一方面,碳载体的形貌及微观结构也对提高催化活性和稳定性起到决定性作用,通过化学手段加强金属纳米颗粒与碳载体之间的相互作用也是提高催化剂稳定性的重要途径.尽管铂基氧还原催化剂在近几年取得了重要进展,但在实际商业化过程中还存在诸多挑战,本文在综述进展的基础上,对铂基催化剂的发展提出了展望.首先,对于氧还原反应机理仍需要深入研究,采用更加精确的理论模型模拟氧还原动力学过程,以获得影响催化活性的关键因素.其次,提高催化剂在膜电极中的催化活性和利用率.目前,氧还原催化剂在半电池测试中性能优异,但是实际燃料电池操作条件下其性能远不能达到要求,这与膜电极、催化剂层及扩散层结构相关.因此,基于不同铂基催化剂的特性,合理设计膜电极组件的结构是将催化剂进行实际应用的基础.最后,催化剂的稳定性仍需进一步提高,尽管目前大部分催化剂在实验室半电池研究中表现了很好的稳定性,但在实际燃料电池中的稳定性研究还不足,而且对催化剂在膜电极中性能衰退机理的研究也非常有限.因此,对于铂基氧还原催化剂的研发仍需要国内外科研工作者不懈的努力.     

Mixed-metal Ionothermal Synthesis of Metallophthalocyanine Covalent Organic Frameworks for CO2 Capture and Conversion

Phthalocyanines (PCs) are intriguing building blocks owing to their stability, physicochemical and catalytic properties. Although PC-based polymers have been reported before, many suffer from relatively low stability, crystallinity, and low surface areas. Utilizing a mixed-metal salt ionothermal approach, we report the synthesis of a series of metallophthalocyanine-based covalent organic frameworks (COFs) starting from 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene and 2,3,6,7-tetracyanoanthracene to form the corresponding COFs named M-pPPCs and M-anPPCs, respectively. The obtained COFs followed the Irving–Williams series in their metal contents, surface areas, and pore volume and featured excellent CO₂ uptake capacities up to 7.6 mmol g⁻¹ at 273 K, 1.1 bar. We also investigated the growth of the Co-pPPC and Co-anPPC on a highly conductive carbon nanofiber and demonstrated their high catalytic activity in the electrochemical CO₂ reduction, which showed Faradaic efficiencies towards CO up to 74 % at −0.64 V vs. RHE.     

Keggin型钼磷酸和Au在改善Pt/C催化剂抗CO中毒能力中的协同作用

采用微波加热法制备了炭黑XC-72负载的系列AuPt/C催化剂和Pt/C催化剂,利用XRD和TEM技术对催化剂的组成、结构和形貌进行了表征,通过循环伏安法和CO溶出循环伏安法考察了在含有Keggin型H3PM012O40支持电解质中催化剂的抗CO中毒能力.结果发现,AuPt/C催化剂为非合金双金属体系,粒径范围4～10...