Adsorption of CO on various M@Pt core–shell nanoparticles: Surface-enhanced infrared absorption and DFT studies

Addition of some other metals to platinum causes significant increase of its catalytic activity towards ethanol electrochemical oxidation. This may be caused by different adsorption of CO molecules on the surface of the catalyst, and hence different resistance of the M@Pt nanostructures to poisoning by CO. In this work we attempt to verify this hypothesis analyzing vibrational spectra of CO adsorbed on various metal nanoparticles. Au@Pt nanoparticles revealing significantly higher catalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation than one-element Pt nanoparticles have been synthesized. Surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectra of CO adsorbed on Au@Pt and Pt nanoparticles have been measured. Obtained spectra were very similar, which suggests that the higher catalytic activity of Au@Pt nanoparticles is rather not caused by different adsorption of CO molecules on Pt and Au@Pt nanoparticles. We suppose that better performance of core–shell M@Pt nanoparticles than one elements Pt nanoparticles towards ethanol electrochemical oxidation can be explained as follows: core–shell nanoparticles are probably much more defected than one-element nanoparticles, hence the M@Pt nanoparticles posses greater number of active sites (kinks, adatoms, and so on) for ethanol electrochemical oxidation. Analysis of the catalytic activity and CO adsorption have been also carried out for other nanoparticles including: Sn@Pt, Pb@Pt, Pd, Au@Pd, Sn@Pd and Pb@Pd. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of CO modes for CO adsorbed on tetrahedral Pt₁₀ or Pd₁₀ clusters with different metal–metal distance have been also performed.     

Particle size dependent adsorption and reaction kinetics on reduced and partially oxidized Pd nanoparticles

Combining scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), IR reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and molecular beam (MB) techniques, we have investigated particle size effects on a Pd/Fe(3)O(4) model catalyst. We focus on the particle size dependence of (i) CO adsorption, (ii) oxygen adsorption and (iii) Pd nanoparticle oxidation/reduction. The model system, which is based on Pd nanoparticles supported on an ordered Fe(3)O(4) film on Pt(111), is characterized in detail with respect to particle morphology, nucleation, growth and coalescence behavior of the Pd particles. Morphological changes upon stabilization by thermal treatment in oxygen atmosphere are also considered. The size of the Pd particles can be varied roughly between 1 and 100 nm. The growth and morphology of the Pd particles on the Fe(3)O(4)/Pt(111) film were characterized by STM and IRAS of adsorbed CO as a probe molecule. It was found that very small Pd particles on Fe(3)O(4) show a strongly modified adsorption behavior, characterized by atypically weak CO adsorption and a characteristic CO stretching frequency around 2130 cm(-1). This modification is attributed to a strong interaction with the support. Additionally, the kinetics of CO adsorption was studied by sticking coefficient experiments as a function of particle size. For small particles it is shown that the CO adsorption rate is significantly enhanced by the capture zone effect. The absolute size of the capture zone was quantified on the basis of the STM and sticking coefficient data. Finally, oxygen adsorption was studied by means of MB CO titration experiments. Pure chemisorption of oxygen is observed at 400 K, whereas at 500 K partial oxidation of the particles occurs. The oxidation behavior reveals strong kinetic hindrances to oxidation for larger particles, whereas facile oxidation and reduction are observed for smaller particles. For the latter, estimates point to the formation of oxide layers which, on average, are thicker than the surface oxides on corresponding single crystal surfaces.     

Surface electrochemistry of CO on reconstructed gold single crystal surfaces studied by infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy and rotating disk electrode

The electrooxidation of CO has been studied on reconstructed gold single-crystal surfaces by a combination of electrochemical (EC) and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) measurements. Emphasis is placed on relating the vibrational properties of the CO adlayer to the voltammetric and other macroscopic electrochemical responses, including rotating disk electrode measurements of the catalytic activity. The IRAS data show that the C-O stretching frequencies are strongly dependent on the surface orientation and can be observed in the range 1940-1990 cm(-1) for the 3-fold bridging, 2005-2070 cm(-1) for the 2-fold bridging, and 2115-2140 for the terminal position. The most complex CO spectra are found for the Au(110)-(1 x 2) surface, i.e., a band near 1965 cm(-1), with the second, weaker band shifted positively by about 45 cm(-1) and, finally, a weak band near 2115 cm(-1). While the C-O stretching frequencies for a CO adlayer adsorbed on Au(111)-(1 x 23) show nu(CO) bands at 2029-2069 cm(-1) and at 1944-1986 cm(-1), on the Au(100)-"hex" surface a single CO band is observed at 2004-2029 cm(-1). In the "argon-purged" solution, the terminal nu(CO) band on Au(110)-(1 x 2) and the 3-fold bridging band on the Au(111)-(1 x 23) disappear entirely. The IRAS/EC data show that the kinetics of CO oxidation are structure sensitive; i.e., the onset of CO oxidation increases in the order Au(110)-(1 x 2) > or = Au(100)-"hex" > Au(111)-(1 x 23). Possible explanations for the structure sensitivity are discussed.     

CoPt nanoparticles and their catalytic properties in electrooxidation of CO and CH(3)OH studied by in situ FTIRS

CoPt nanoparticles supported on a glassy carbon electrode (denoted as CoPt/GC) were prepared by galvanic replacement reaction between electrodeposited Co nanoparticles and K(2)PtCl(6) solution. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were both employed to characterize the CoPt nanoparticles. It was shown that the CoPt nanoparticles have irregular shapes and most of them exhibit a core-shell structure with a porous Co core and a shell of Pt tiny particles. The composition of the CoPt nanoparticles was analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), which depicts a Co : Pt ratio of ca. 21 : 79. Studies of cyclic voltammetry (CV) demonstrated that CoPt/GC possesses a much higher catalytic activity towards CO and methanol electrooxidation than a nanoscale Pt thin film electrode. In situ FTIR spectroscopic studies have revealed for the first time, that a CoPt nanoparticles electrode exhibits abnormal IR effects (AIREs) for IR absorption of CO adsorbed on it. In comparison with the IR features of CO adsorbed on a bulk Pt electrode, the direction of the IR bands of CO adsorbed on the CoPt/GC electrode is inverted completely, and the intensity of the IR bands has been enhanced up to 15.4 times. The AIREs is significant in detecting the adsorbed intermediate species involved in electrocatalytic reactions. The results demonstrated a reaction mechanism of CH(3)OH oxidation on CoPt/GC in alkaline solutions through evidencing CO(L), CO(M), HCOO(-), CO(3)(2-), HCO(3)(-) and CO(2) as intermediate and product species by in situ FTIRS.     

Highly active platinum nanoparticles on graphene nanosheets with a significant improvement in stability and CO tolerance

Graphene nanosheets (GNS) supporting Pt nanoparticles (PNs) are prepared using perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) as a functionalization and anchoring agent. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) results indicate that the prepared Pt NPs are uniformly deposited on GNS with a narrow particle size ranging from 1 to 4 nm in diameter. A high catalytic activity of this novel catalyst is observed by both cyclic voltammetry and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) measurements due to the increasing of proton (H(+)) transmission channels. Significantly, this novel PFSA-functionalized Pt/GNS (PFSA-Pt/GNS) catalyst reveals a better CO oxidation and lower loss rate of electrochemical active area in comparison with that of the plain Pt/GNS and conventional Pt/C catalysts, indicating our PFSA-Pt/GNS catalysts hold much higher stability and CO tolerance by virtue of introduction of PFSA.     

Electrochemical infrared characterization of CO comains on ruthenium-decorated platinum nanoparticles

Spectra obtained by electrochemical infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (EC-IRAS) for carbon monoxide (CO) adlayers formed by partial CO dosing on various ruthenium-decorated platinum nanoparticle films are reported. The need to achieve a well distributed rather than aggregated metal nanoparticle array is demonstrated, given that such nanoparticle aggregates induce complex dielectric behavior. The strategy here is to use an "organic glue matrix" (short chain SAMs) between the nanoparticles and the gold substrates. The observed promotion in CO electrooxidation by the existence of a Ru island on Pt nanoparticles, of interest to fuel-cell catalysis, showed a strong relationship with Ru surface concentrations, consistent with previous studies on single crystal or polycrystalline bimetallic surfaces. Two distinctive CO infrared bands, one for the Pt-CO and one for Ru-CO domain were found after the dipole coupling of CO within the two CO domains was minimized. Interestingly, those two CO bands showed independent electrooxidation behavior with electrode potential changes. Also, it is shown that the electrooxidation of CO on large Ru islands is less facile than on small Ru islands. In addition, the activity of commercial Pt/Ru alloy nanoparticles to CO stripping was tested and IRAS spectra were reported as a comparison to our Ru-decorated Pt nanoparticles.     

多壁碳纳米管负载铂立方体的制备及对乙醇电催化氧化性能

利用线性扫描电沉积的方法在玻碳电极或多壁碳纳米管表面制备出铂纳米立方体, 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)结果表明, 铂立方体的尺度约为38 nm, 由Pt(111)择优取向的小粒子围成. 运用电化学循环伏安和电位阶跃技术研究了所合成的2种催化剂和商用碳载铂对乙醇氧化的电催化活性, 发现在2种铂纳米立方体上乙醇氧化的电催化活性和稳定性均高于商用碳载铂, 其起峰电位较商业碳载铂降低168 mV. 采用电化学原位红外光谱对比研究了铂纳米立方体和商用碳载铂对乙醇氧化的电催化过程, 发现铂纳米立方体起始氧化电位提前, 催化活性增强. 乙醇在该催化剂上更易转化为乙酸, 且表现出较强的CO吸附能力.     

The electrooxidation of small organic molecules on platinum nanoparticles supported on gold: influence of platinum deposition procedure

The electrocatalytic properties of small platinum nanoparticles were investigated for the oxidation of CO, methanol, and formic acid using voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The particles were generated by galvanostatic deposition of platinum on a polished gold surface from an H₂PtCl₆ containing electrolyte and ranged between 10 and 20 nm in diameter for low platinum surface concentrations, 10 and 120 nm for medium concentrations, and full Pt monolayers for high concentrations. CO stripping and bulk CO oxidation experiments on the particles up to 120 nm in diameter displayed pronounced structural effects. The CO oxidation current-time transients show a current decay for low platinum coverages and a current maximum for medium and high coverages. These results were also observed in the literature for particles of 2- to 5-nm size and agglomerates of these particles. The similarities between the literature and our results, despite large differences in particle size and morphology, suggest that particle structure and morphology are also very important catalytic parameters. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy data obtained for the oxidation of CO on the Pt-modified Au electrodes corroborate this conclusion. A difference in the ratio between CO adsorbed in linear- and bridge-bonded positions on the Pt nanoparticles of different sizes demonstrates the influence of the surface morphology. The oxidation activity of methanol was found to decrease with the particle size, while the formic acid oxidation rate increases. Again, a structural effect is observed for particles of up to ca. 120 nm in diameter, which is much larger than the particles for which a particle size effect was reported in the literature. The particle shape effect for the methanol oxidation reaction can be explained by a reduction in available “ensemble sites” and a reduction in the mobility of CO formed by decomposition of methanol. As formic acid does not require Pt ensemble sites, decreasing the particle size, and thus, the relative number of defects, increases the reaction rate. Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Teresa Iwasita on the occasion of her 65th birthday in recognition of her numerous contributions to interfacial electrochemistry.     

Immobilizing Highly Catalytically Active Pt Nanoparticles inside the Pores of Metal-Organic Framework: A Double Solvents Approach

Ultrafine Pt nanoparticles were successfully immobilized inside the pores of a metal-organic framework, MIL-101, without aggregation of Pt nanoparticles on the external surfaces of framework by using a "double solvents" method. TEM and electron tomographic measurements clearly demonstrated the uniform three-dimensional distribution of the ultrafine Pt NPs throughout the interior cavities of MIL-101. The resulting Pt@MIL-101 composites represent the first highly active MOF-immobilized metal nanocatalysts for catalytic reactions in all three phases: liquid-phase ammonia borane hydrolysis, solid-phase ammonia borane thermal dehydrogenation, and gas-phase CO oxidation.     

氮掺杂还原氧化石墨烯负载铂催化剂的制备及甲醇电氧化性能

采用高温热解聚苯胺修饰的氧化石墨烯（PANI-GO）,得到了氮掺杂的还原氧化石墨烯碳材料（N-RGO）,以其负载Pt 制备了Pt/N-RGO纳米结构电催化剂. 采用透射电镜（TEM）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、X 射线衍射（XRD）谱及拉曼光谱等技术对N-RGO和Pt/N-RGO的形貌及结构进行了表征,用循环伏安、计时电流等电化学技术研究了Pt/N-RGO电极催化剂对CO溶出反应和甲醇电氧化反应的催化性能. 结果表明：高温热解PANIGO可同时实现GO的还原及其氮掺杂的过程,氮掺杂引起还原氧化石墨烯碳材料表面缺陷结构和导电性的增加;与相应的未掺杂氮样品Pt/RGO相比较,Pt/N-RGO样品上Pt 颗粒的分散更均匀,显示出更强的抗CO毒化能力和更高的甲醇电氧化催化活性及稳定性.     

Defect-mediated reactivity of Pt/TiO2 catalysts: the different role of titanium and oxygen vacancies

Defects are ubiquitous in oxide supports and can often tune the catalytic property of supported metal catalysts. This work describes the distinct role of titanium and oxygen vacancies of TiO_2 supports in the catalytic performance of supported Pt catalysts for CO oxidation. Pt was loaded on the TiO_2 supports with oxygen vacancies(VO-TiO_2) and titanium vacancies(VTiTiO_2). It was found that different defects of TiO_2 could distinctively modify the electron property of Pt and thereby CO adsorption strength. The strength of CO adsorption on Pt/VTi-TiO_2 is enhanced, while that of Pt/VO-TiO_2 becomes weaker.Additionally, the presence of defects would also promote the reducibility of catalysts. On the account of the superior redox ability, both Pt/VTi-TiO_2 and Pt/VO-TiO_2 exhibit a higher activity than Pt supported on normal TiO_2 for CO oxidation.     

氮掺杂还原氧化石墨烯负载铂催化剂的制备及甲醇电氧化性能

采用高温热解聚苯胺修饰的氧化石墨烯(PANI-GO),得到了氮掺杂的还原氧化石墨烯碳材料(N-RGO),以其负载Pt制备了Pt/N-RGO纳米结构电催化剂.采用透射电镜(TEM)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、X射线衍射(XRD)谱及拉曼光谱等技术对N-RGO和Pt/N-RGO的形貌及结构进行了表征,用循环伏安、计时电流等电化学技术研究了Pt/N-RGO电极催化剂对CO溶出反应和甲醇电氧化反应的催化性能.结果表明:高温热解PANIGO可同时实现GO的还原及其氮掺杂的过程,氮掺杂引起还原氧化石墨烯碳材料表面缺陷结构和导电性的增加;与相应的未掺杂氮样品Pt/RGO相比较,Pt/N-RGO样品上Pt颗粒的分散更均匀,显示出更强的抗CO毒化能力和更高的甲醇电氧化催化活性及稳定性.     

Estimation of Surface Structure and Carbon Monoxide Oxidation Site of Shape‐Controlled Pt Nanoparticles

Surface structures of shape‐controlled Pt nanoparticles have been estimated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS). Cubic and cuboctahedral Pt nanoparticles are prepared using a capping polymer. These nanoparticles give CVs similar to those of single crystal electrodes of Pt in sulfuric acid solution. The CV of cubic nanoparticles is similar to that of the Pt(510) [=5(100)–(110)] electrode, while the CV of cuboctahedral nanoparticles is reproduced well with the convolution of Pt(766) [=13(111)–(100)] and Pt(17 1 1) [=9(100)–(111)] electrodes. These results suggest that the planes of the cubic and cuboctahedral nanoparticles are composed of step‐terrace and atomically flat terraces, respectively. Adsorbed carbon monoxide (CO) on the shape‐controlled nanoparticles gives the IR bands that are assigned to on‐top and bridged CO. The band of on‐top CO is deconvoluted to two bands: the higher and the lower frequency bands are assigned to the CO on the plane and the edges of the nanoparticles, respectively. On‐top CO adsorbed on the edges is oxidized at more negative potential than that on the planes. Edge sites of the nanoparticles promote CO oxidation.     

Effects of reduction temperature and metal-support interactions on the catalytic activity of Pt/gamma-Al2O3 and Pt/TiO2 for the oxidation of CO in the presence and absence of H2

TiO2- and gamma-Al2O3-supported Pt catalysts were characterized by HRTEM, XPS, EXAFS, and in situ FTIR spectroscopy after activation at various conditions, and their catalytic properties were examined for the oxidation of CO in the absence and presence of H2 (PROX). When gamma-Al2O3 was used as the support, the catalytic, electronic, and structural properties of the Pt particles formed were not affected substantially by the pretreatment conditions. In contrast, the surface properties and catalytic activity of Pt/TiO2 were strongly influenced by the pretreatment conditions. In this case, an increase in the reduction temperature led to higher electron density on Pt, altering its chemisorptive properties, weakening the Pt-CO bonds, and increasing its activity for the oxidation of CO. The in situ FTIR data suggest that both the terminal and bridging CO species adsorbed on fully reduced Pt are active for this reaction. The high activity of Pt/TiO2 for the oxidation of CO can also be attributed to the ability of TiO2 to provide or stabilize highly reactive oxygen species at the metal-support interface. However, such species appear to be more reactive toward H2 than CO. Consequently, Pt/TiO2 shows substantially lower selectivities toward CO oxidation under PROX conditions than Pt/gamma-Al2O3.     

Gold nanoparticles deposited on SiO2/Si100: correlation between size,electron structure,and activity in CO oxidation

Nanosize gold particles were prepared by Ar(+) ion implantation of 10-nm thick gold film deposited onto a SiO(2)/Si(100) wafer possessing no catalytic activity in the CO oxidation. Along with size reduction the valence band of the gold particles and the actual size were determined by ultraviolet- and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS, XPS) and by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The catalytic activity was determined in the CO oxidation. Energy distribution of the photoelectrons excited from 5d valence band of gold was strongly affected by Ar(+) implantation. This variation was interpreted by the redistribution of the valence band density of states (DOS). The intrinsic catalytic activity of the gold particles increased with decreasing size. When an Au/FeO(x) interface was created by FeO(x) deposition on large gold nanoparticles, a significant increase in the rate of the CO oxidation was observed. These data can be regarded as an experimental verification of the correlation between the catalytic activity and valence band density of states of gold.     

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.     

以钙钛矿型复合氧化物为前驱体构筑La-Ce氧化物修饰的Pt-Co纳米双金属催化剂及其对CO氧化的性能

利用钙钛矿型复合氧化物(PTO)可以将多种金属离子限域并均匀混合于钙钛矿晶格中的特点,提出了一种构筑氧化物修饰的纳米双金属催化剂团簇的新构想。以担载于大比表面积SiO_2上的钙钛矿型复合氧化物La_(1-y)Ce_yCo_(0.87)Pt_(0.13)O_3/SiO_2作为前驱体,将La、Ce、Co和Pt多种金属离子均匀混合并限域于PTO晶粒中,还原后得到Pt-Co/La-Ce-O/SiO_2催化剂;通过氮气吸附-脱附、XRD、H2-TPR和TEM等手段对Pt-Co/La-Ce-O/SiO_2催化剂进行了表征,考察了其对CO氧化的催化性能,研究了构效关系。结果发现,La-Ce-O-Pt-Co构成了纳米团簇,担载于SiO_2表面,形成了Pt-Co纳米双金属颗粒; Co修饰Pt提高了其催化活性,而添加Ce进一步改善了其催化性能。当Ce含量(y)为0.2时,催化剂La_(0.8)Ce_(0.2)Co_(0.87)Pt_(0.13)O_3/SiO_2的活性最佳,在120℃下即可实现CO完全转化,且在含体积分数15%H_2O及12.5%CO_2的气氛中仍具有较好的催化性能。稳定性测试表明,所制得的Pt-Co/La-Ce-O/SiO_2催化剂具有良好的稳定性和抗烧结性能。     

Characterization of stainless steel electrode modified by a thin film of polyaniline containing pt particles and its electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation

The catalytic behavior of stainless steel (SS) electrode modified by a thin film of polyaniline (PANI) containing platinum particles was studied for electrooxidation of methanol and compared with a platinated Pt/PANI electrode in acidic aqueous solution. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry, CO stripping techniques were used to investigate electrochemical properties and electrocatalytic activity of SS/PANI/Pt and Pt/PANI/Pt electrodes. The morphology and particle size of Pt catalysts were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) measurement. The effects of various parameters such as thickness of polymer film, medium temperature and stability of the modified electrodes on methanol oxidation were also investigated. The results indicated that the modified SS electrode exhibited a considerably high electrocatalytic activity on the methanol oxidation as well as the modified Pt electrode.     

Pt@Au/Al2O3核壳纳米粒子的制备和表征及其在催化氧化甲苯中的应用

Customizing core-shell nanostructures is considered to be an efficient approach to improve the catalytic activity of metal nanoparticles. Various physiochemical and green methods have been developed for the synthesis of core-shell structures. In this study, a novel liquid-phase hydrogen reduction method was employed to form core-shell Pt@Au nanoparticles with intimate contact between the Pt and Au particles, without the use of any protective or structure-directing agents. The Pt@Au core-shell nanoparticles were prepared by depositing Au metal onto the Pt core; AuCl⁴⁻ was reduced to Au(0) by H₂ in the presence of Pt nanoparticles. The obtained Pt@Au core-shell structured nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), high-resolution TEM, fast Fourier transform, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and H₂-temperature programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) analyses. The EDX mapping results for the nanoparticles, as obtained from their scanning transmission electron microscopy images in the high-angle annular dark-field mode, revealed a Pt core with Au particles grown on its surface. Fourier transform measurements were carried out on the high-resolution structure to characterize the Pt@Au nanoparticles. The lattice plane at the center of the nanoparticles corresponded to Pt, while the edge of the particles corresponded to Au. With an increase in the Au content, the intensity of the peak corresponding to Pt in the FTIR spectrum decreased slowly, indicating that the Pt nanoparticles were surrounded by Au nanoparticles, and thus confirming the core-shell structure of the nanoparticles. The XRD results showed that the peak corresponding to Pt shifted gradually toward the Au peak with an increase in the Au content, indicating that the Au particles grew on the Pt seeds; this trend was consistent with the FTIR results. Hence, it can be stated that the Pt@Au core-shell structure was successfully prepared using the liquid-phase hydrogen reduction method. The catalytic activity of the nanoparticles for the oxidation of toluene was evaluated using a fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure. The XPS and H₂-TPR results showed that the Pt₁@Au₁/Al₂O₃ catalyst had the best toluene oxidation activity owing to its lowest reduction temperature, lowest Au 4d & 4f and Pt 4d & 4f binding energies, and highest Au⁰/Au^δ+ and Pt⁰/Pt²⁺ proportions. The Pt₁@Au₂Al₂O₃ catalyst showed high stability under dry and humid conditions. The good catalytic performance and high selectivity of Pt@Au/Al₂O₃ for toluene oxidation could be attributed to the high concentration of adsorbed oxygen species, good low-temperature reducibility, and strong interaction.     

Influence of ultrathin poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) film supports on the electrodeposition and electrocatalytic activity of discrete platinum nanoparticles

Coating a carbon electrode surface, specifically highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) with an ultrathin film of poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT, provides a support on which a high density of uniformly dispersed Pt nanoparticles (NPs) can readily be formed by electrodeposition. The NPs tend to be much smaller, have a higher surface coverage, better dispersion and show a much lower tendency to aggregate, than Pt NPs produced under identical electrochemical conditions on HOPG alone. The electrocatalytic activity of the NPs was investigated for methanol (MeOH) and formic acid (HCOOH) oxidation. Significantly, for similarly prepared particles, Pt NP-PEDOT arrays exhibited higher catalytic activity (in terms of current density, based on the Pt area), towards MeOH oxidation, by an order of magnitude, and towards HCOOH oxidation at high potentials, than Pt NPs supported on native HOPG. These findings can be rationalised in terms of the enhanced oxidation of adsorbed CO, a key reaction intermediate and a catalyst poison. This research provides strong evidence that employing conducting polymers, such as PEDOT, as a support substrate, can greatly improve particular catalytic reactions, allowing for better catalyst utilisation in fuel cell technology.