Inhibiting CO formation by adjusting surface composition in PtAu alloys for methanol electrooxidation

CO poisoning during methanol electrooxidation was investigated on PtAu alloys with different surface compositions. Results show that the CO formation can be reduced gradually with increasing surface Au fractions in PtAu alloys and CO poisoning can be almost eliminated by adjusting to a proper surface Au fraction.     

Decomposition pathways of methanol on the PtAu(111) bimetallic surface: a first-principles study

Systematic density functional studies revealed that PtAu(111) significantly alters the reaction kinetics of methanol oxidation from that on Pt(111). PtAu(111) facilitates the reaction path that starts from cleavage of the OH bond. Furthermore, it prevents CH(2)O from immediate decomposition as on the clean Pt(111) surface. This indicates that proper arrangement of Au and Pt sites offers great opportunities for non-CO(ad) paths for high H productivity in fuel cells.     

碱性介质中CO对甲醇在PtAu(111)和Pt(111)表面氧化生成甲酸的影响的第一性原理研究

采用密度泛函理论计算研究了碱性介质中甲醇在清洁的PtAu(111)和Pt(111)表面、及有CO存在的PtAu(111)和Pt(111)表面的氧化。计算结果表明,在碱性介质中,预吸附的CO促进了甲醇在PtAu(111)和Pt(111)表面氧化的每一步反应,这与其在Au(111)表面的作用相似。究其原因,是由于CO的吸附增强了OH的稳定性和碱性,从而增强了OH夺取氢原子的能力。     

Self-assembly of mixed Pt and Au nanoparticles on PDDA-functionalized graphene as effective electrocatalysts for formic acid oxidation of fuel cells

Pt and Au nanoparticles with controlled Pt?:?Au molar ratios and PtAu nanoparticle loadings were successfully self-assembled onto poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA)-functionalized graphene (PDDA-G) as highly effective electrocatalysts for formic acid oxidation in direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs). The simultaneously assembled Pt and Au nanoparticles on PDDA-G showed superb electrocatalytic activity for HCOOH oxidation, and the current density associated with the preferred dehydrogenation pathway for the direct formation of CO(2) through HCOOH oxidation on a Pt(1)Au(8)/PDDA-G (i.e., a Pt?:?Au ratio of 1?:?8) is 32 times higher than on monometallic Pt/PDDA-G. The main function of the Au in the mixed Pt and Au nanoparticles on PDDA-G is to facilitate the first electron transfer from HCOOH to HCOO(ads) and the effective spillover of HCOO(ads) from Au to Pt nanoparticles, where HCOO(ads) is further oxidized to CO(2). The Pt?:?Au molar ratio and PtAu nanoparticle loading on PDDA-G supports are the two critical factors to achieve excellent electrocatalytic activity of PtAu/PDDA-G catalysts for the HCOOH oxidation reactions.     

Sensing hydrogen peroxide using a glassy carbon electrode modified with in-situ electrodeposited platinum-gold bimetallic nanoclusters on a graphene surface

Microchimica Acta - Platinum-gold nanoclusters (PtAu NCs) were electrodeposited on graphene placed on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The PtAu-graphene nanocomposite was...     

Compact bipolar plate-free direct methanol fuel cell stacks

Fuel cells with a PtAu/C anode and a Pr-doped Mn(2)O(3)/C cathode were stacked without using a bipolar plate, and their discharge properties were investigated in a methanol aqueous solution bubbled with air. A three-cell stack exhibited a stack voltage of 2330 mV and a power output of 21 mW.     

Facile Synthesis of Quasi‐One‐Dimensional Au/PtAu Heterojunction Nanotubes and Their Application as Catalysts in an Oxygen‐Reduction Reaction

An intermediate‐template‐directed method has been developed for the synthesis of quasi‐one‐dimensional Au/PtAu heterojunction nanotubes by the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of Au on Te/Pt core–shell nanostructures in aqueous solution. The synthesized porous Au/PtAu bimetallic nanotubes (PABNTs) consist of porous tubular framework and attached Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). The reaction intermediates played an important role in the preparation, which fabricated the framework and provided a localized reducing agent for the reduction of the Au and Pt precursors. The Pt₇Au PABNTs showed higher electrocatalytic activity and durability in the oxygen‐reduction reaction (ORR) in 0.1 M HClO₄ than porous Pt nanotubes (PtNTs) and commercially available Pt/C. The mass activity of PABNTs was 218 % that of commercial Pt/C after an accelerated durability test. This study demonstrates the potential of PABNTs as highly efficient electrocatalysts. In addition, this method provides a facile strategy for the synthesis of desirable hetero‐nanostructures with controlled size and shape by utilizing an intermediate template.     

Printing graphene-carbon nanotube-ionic liquid gel on graphene paper: Towards flexible electrodes with efficient loading of PtAu alloy nanoparticles for electrochemical sensing of blood glucose

The increasing demands for portable, wearable, and implantable sensing devices have stimulated growing interest in innovative electrode materials. In this work, we have demonstrated that printing a conductive ink formulated by blending three-dimensional (3D) porous graphene–carbon nanotube (CNT) assembly with ionic liquid (IL) on two-dimensional (2D) graphene paper (GP), leads to a freestanding GP supported graphene–CNT–IL nanocomposite (graphene–CNT–IL/GP). The incorporation of highly conductive CNTs into graphene assembly effectively increases its surface area and improves its electrical and mechanical properties. The graphene–CNT–IL/GP, as freestanding and flexible substrates, allows for efficient loading of PtAu alloy nanoparticles by means of ultrasonic-electrochemical deposition. Owing to the synergistic effect of PtAu alloy nanoparticles, 3D porous graphene–CNT scaffold, IL binder and 2D flexible GP substrate, the resultant lightweight nanohybrid paper electrode exhibits excellent sensing performances in nonenzymatic electrochemical detection of glucose in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, reproducibility and mechanical properties.     

Probing cooperative effects in bimetallic clusters: indications of C-N coupling of CH4 and NH3 mediated by the cluster ion PtAu+ in the gas phase

The bimetallic cluster ion PtAu+ activates methane in the gas-phase, yielding the carbene PtAuCH2+ which further reacts with ammonia under C-N coupling. In contrast, neither Pt2+ nor Au2+ mediates C-N bond formation. This example demonstrates how bond activation in the gas phase can be tuned by cooperative effects in bimetallic clusters.     

Mathematical modeling of overpotentials of direct glucose alkaline fuel cell and experimental validation

Development of a mathematical model for batch-type direct glucose fuel cell (DGFC) and validation of the model with experimental results in terms of i-V characteristics is attempted. The DGFC model equation is derived to predict the cell voltage at a given current density considering overall ohmic overpotential and activation and concentration overpotentials at anode. The activation overpotential is modeled by taking into account the reaction mechanism of glucose electro-oxidation available in literature and a semi-empirical equation is used to estimate the concentration overpotential. The charge transfer coefficient used in estimation of activation overpotential for different anode catalysts, namely, PtAu/C, PtPdAu/C, and PtBi/C, is determined from cyclic voltammetry analyses. The ohmic resistance is calculated from specific conductance of KOH solution found from non-linear regression analysis given in literature. Two different parameters, m and k are used in estimation of concentration overpotentials. While k signifies departure from ideal i-V characteristics and its value used is 1, m is area-specific resistance for mass transport and its value is 0.2 kΩ cm² for PtAu/C and PtPdAu/C and 0.12 kΩ cm² for PtBi/C. The trend of current–voltage characteristics at different operating conditions, such as anode catalysts, anode loadings, glucose, and KOH concentrations, is predicted reasonably by the proposed model.     

Highly efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid by electrospun carbon nanofiber-supported PtxAu100−x bimetallic electrocatalyst

Electrospun carbon nanofiber-supported bimetallic Pt_xAu_100?x electrocatalysts (Pt_xAu_100?x/CNF) were prepared by electrochemical codeposition method. The composition of PtAu bimetallic nanoparticles could be controlled by varying the ratio of H₂PtCl₆ and HAuCl₄. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that bimetallic nanoparticles had coarse surface morphology with high electrochemically active surface areas. X-ray diffraction analysis testified the formation of PtAu alloys. Pt_xAu_100?x/CNF electrocatalysts exhibited improved electrocatalytic activities towards formic acid oxidation by providing the selectivity of the reaction via dehydrogenation pathway and suppressing the formation/adsorption of poisoning CO intermediate, indicating that Pt_xAu_100?x/CNF is promising electrocatalyst in direct formic acid fuel cells.     

Vacancy assisted diffusion on single-atom surface alloys

Bimetallic surfaces can exhibit an improved catalytic activity through tailoring the concentration and/or the arrangement of the two metallic components. However, in order to be catalytically active, the active bimetallic surface structure has to be stable under operating conditions. Typically, structural changes in metals occur via vacancy diffusion. Based on the first-principles determination of formation energies and diffusion barriers we have performed kinetic Monte-Carlo (kMC) simulations to analyse the (meta-)stability of PtRu/Ru(0001), AgPd/Pd(111), PtAu/Au(111) and InCu/Cu(100) surface alloys. In a first step, here we consider single-atom alloys together with one vacancy per simulation cell. We will present results of the time evolution of these structures and analyse them in terms of the interaction between the constituents of the bimetallic surface.     

Engineering Pt in ceria for a maximum metal-support interaction in catalysis

Conventional supported metal catalysts are metal nanoparticles deposited on high surface area oxide supports with a poorly defined metal-support interface. Typically, the traditionally prepared Pt/ceria catalyzes both methanation (H2/CO to CH4) and water-gas shift (CO/H2O to CO2/H2) reactions. By using simple nanochemistry techniques, we show for the first time that Pt or PtAu metal can be created inside each CeO2 particle with tailored dimensions. The encapsulated metal is shown to interact with the thin CeO2 overlayer in each single particle in an optimum geometry to create a unique interface, giving high activity and excellent selectivity for the water-gas shift reaction, but is totally inert for methanation. Thus, this work clearly demonstrates the significance of nanoengineering of a single catalyst particle by a bottom-up construction approach in modern catalyst design which could enable exploitation of catalyst site differentiation, leading to new catalytic properties.     

Bimetallic clusters Pt6Au: geometric and electronic structures within density functional theory

Within density functional theory at the general gradient approximation for exchange and correlation (BPW91) and the relativistic 19-electron Los Alamos National Laboratory effective core pseudopotentials and basis sets (3s3p2d), the geometric and electronic structures of Pt(6)Au bimetallic clusters have been studied in detail in comparison with Pt(7). A total of 38 conformations for Pt(6)Au are located. The most stable conformation for Pt(6)Au is a sextet with an edge- and face-capped trigonal bipyramid, in which the Au atom caps an edge of the trigonal bipyramid. Pt(6)Au, in general, prefers a three-dimensional geometry and high spin electronic state with multireference character. The electronic impact of the doping of Au in Pt clusters on the overall chemical activity of the doped bimetallic cluster is not as significant as that of the doping of Pt in Au clusters; however, the doping of Au lowers the chemical activity, thus enhancing the chemoselectivity in the gas phase, of PtAu bimetallic clusters.     

Screening by kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of Pt-Au(100) surfaces for the steady-state decomposition of nitric oxide in excess dioxygen

An ab initio-based kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm was developed to simulate the direct decomposition of NO over Pt and different PtAu alloy surfaces. The algorithm was used to test the influence of the composition and the specific atomic surface structure of the alloy on the simulated activity and selectivity to form N2. The apparent activation barrier found for the simulation of lean NO decomposition over Pt(100) was 7.4 kcal/mol, which is lower than the experimental value of 11 kcal/mol that was determined over supported Pt nanoparticles. Differences are likely due to differences in the surface structure between the ideal (100) surface and supported Pt particles. The apparent reaction orders for lean NO decomposition over the Pt(100) substrate were calculated to be 0.9 and -0.5 for NO and O2, respectively. Oxygen acts to poison Pt. Simulations on the different Pt-Au(100) surface alloys indicate that the turnover frequency goes through a maximum as the Au composition in the surface is increased, and the maximum occurs near 44% Au. Turnover frequencies, however, are dictated by the actual arrangements of Pt and Au atoms in the surface rather than by their overall composition. Surfaces with similar compositions but different alloy arrangements can lead to very different activities. Surfaces composed of 50% Pt and 50% Au (Pt4 and Au4 surface ensembles) showed very little enhancement in the activity over that which was found over pure Pt. The Pt-Pt bridge sites required for NO adsorption and decomposition were still effectively poisoned by atomic oxygen. The well-dispersed Pt(50%)Au(50%) alloy, on the other hand, increased the TOF over that found for pure Pt by a factor of 2. The most active surface alloy was one in which the Pt was arranged into "+" ensembles surrounded by Au atoms. The overall composition of this surface is Pt(56.2%)Au(43.8%). The unique "+" ensembles maintain Pt bridge sites for NO to adsorb on but limit O2 as well as NO activation by eliminating next-nearest neighbor Pt-bridge sites. The repulsive interactions between two adatoms prevent them from sharing the same metal atoms. The decrease in the oxygen coverage leads to a greater number of vacant sites available for NO adsorption. This increases the NO coupling reaction and hence N2 formation. The inhibition of the rate of N2 formation by O2 is therefore suppressed. The coverage of atomic oxygen decreases from 53% on the Pt(100) surface down to 19% on the "+" ensemble surface. This increases the rate of N2 formation by a factor of 4.3 over that on pure Pt. The reaction kinetics over the "+" ensemble Pt(56.2%)Au(43.8%) surface indicate apparent reaction orders in NO and oxygen of 0.7 and 0.0, respectively. This suggests that oxygen does not poison the PtAu "+" alloy ensemble. The activity and selectivity of the PtAu ensembles significantly decrease for alloys that go beyond 60% Au. Higher coverages of Au shut down sites for NO adsorption and, in addition, weaken the NO and O bond strengths, which subsequently promotes desorption as well as NO oxidation. The computational approach identified herein can be used to more rapidly test different metal compositions and their explicit atomic arrangements for improved catalytic performance. This can be done "in silico" and thus provides a method that may aid high-throughput experimental efforts in the design of new materials. The synthesis and stability of the metal complexes suggested herein still ultimately need to be tested.     

Metal-air batteries: from oxygen reduction electrochemistry to cathode catalysts

Because of the remarkably high theoretical energy output, metal-air batteries represent one class of promising power sources for applications in next-generation electronics, electrified transportation and energy storage of smart grids. The most prominent feature of a metal-air battery is the combination of a metal anode with high energy density and an air electrode with open structure to draw cathode active materials (i.e., oxygen) from air. In this critical review, we present the fundamentals and recent advances related to the fields of metal-air batteries, with a focus on the electrochemistry and materials chemistry of air electrodes. The battery electrochemistry and catalytic mechanism of oxygen reduction reactions are discussed on the basis of aqueous and organic electrolytes. Four groups of extensively studied catalysts for the cathode oxygen reduction/evolution are selectively surveyed from materials chemistry to electrode properties and battery application: Pt and Pt-based alloys (e.g., PtAu nanoparticles), carbonaceous materials (e.g., graphene nanosheets), transition-metal oxides (e.g., Mn-based spinels and perovskites), and inorganic-organic composites (e.g., metal macrocycle derivatives). The design and optimization of air-electrode structure are also outlined. Furthermore, remarks on the challenges and perspectives of research directions are proposed for further development of metal-air batteries (219 references).     

Simultaneous formation of platinum‐based nanocatalysts and degradation of dyes at oil/water interface: Comparative morphological and kinetic studies

To decrease the water pollution of textile industries with a large amount of toxic and non‐biodegradable colored dye effluents, an efficient technique is required to safely remove harmful pollutants. In this paper, the reaction between azo dyes and NaBH₄ catalyzed by nanoparticles (NPs) thin films has been studied. We report insitu degradation of methyl orange (MO) and methyl red (MR) by using Pt‐based thin films monitored by UV–Vis spectroscopy. We have synthesized different thin films such as Pt, PtPd, PtFeFe₂O₃, PtNi and PtAu films from Pt organometallic precursor in the MO and MR medium (dye degradation and NPs formation is happened simultaneously) and activity of these films were compared in the complete degradation of MO and MR dyes. Rate constants for the catalyzed reactions have been determined. PtPd NPs thin film has shown the highest rate constant for the degradation of MO and MR within only a few seconds due to its well‐ordered structure. Furthermore, the effect of presence of MO on the morphology of NPs was investigated.     

Ternary CoPtAu Nanoparticles as a General Catalyst for Highly Efficient Electro‐oxidation of Liquid Fuels

Efficient electro‐oxidation of formic acid, methanol, and ethanol is challenging owing to the multiple chemical reaction steps required to accomplish full oxidation to CO₂. Herein, a ternary CoPtAu nanoparticle catalyst system is reported in which Co and Pt form an intermetallic L1₀‐structure and Au segregates on the surface to alloy with Pt. The L1₀‐structure stabilizes Co and significantly enhances the catalysis of the PtAu surface towards electro‐oxidation of ethanol, methanol, and formic acid, with mass activities of 1.55 A/mg_Pt, 1.49 A/mg_Pt, and 11.97 A/mg_Pt, respectively in 0.1 m HClO₄. The L1₀‐CoPtAu catalyst is also stable, with negligible degradation in mass activities and no obvious Co/Pt/Au composition changes after 10 000 potential cycles. The in situ surface‐enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy study indicates that the ternary catalyst activates the C?C bond more efficiently for ethanol oxidation.     

Catalytically induced electrokinetics for motors and micropumps

We have explored the role of electrokinetics in the spontaneous motion of platinum-gold nanorods suspended in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solutions that may arise from the bimetallic electrochemical decomposition of H2O2. The electrochemical decomposition pathway was confirmed by measuring the steady-state short-circuit current between platinum and gold interdigitated microelectrodes (IMEs) in the presence of H2O2. The resulting ion flux from platinum to gold implies an electric field in the surrounding solution that can be estimated from Ohm's Law. This catalytically generated electric field could in principle bring about electrokinetic effects that scale with the Helmholtz-Smoluchowski equation. Accordingly, we observed a linear relationship between bimetallic rod speed and the resistivity of the bulk solution. Previous observations relating a decrease in speed to an increase in ethanol concentration can be explained in terms of a decrease in current density caused by the presence of ethanol. Furthermore, we found that the catalytically generated electric field in the solution near a Pt/Au IME in the presence of H2O2 is capable of inducing electroosmotic fluid flow that can be switched on and off externally. We demonstrate that the velocity of the fluid flow in the plane of the IME is a function of the electric field, whether catalytically generated or applied from an external current source. Our findings indicate that the motion of PtAu nanorods in H2O2 is primarily due to a catalytically induced electrokinetic phenomenon and that other mechanisms, such as those related to interfacial tension gradients, play at best a minor role.     

Preparation and characterization of PtAu hybrid film modified electrodes and their use in simultaneous determination of dopamine, ascorbic acid and uric acid

A novel biosensor was fabricated by electrochemical deposition of platinum and gold nanoparticles (nanoAu) with l-Cysteine on glassy carbon electrode. It was found that the nanoAu particle size distribution range was (50-80 nm), and the platinum particle size range was (200-300 nm). The hybrid film could be produced on gold and transparent indium tin oxide electrodes for different kind of studies such as electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical studies. The PtAu hybrid film was applied to the electro catalytic oxidation of dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) at pH 4.0 using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques. The modified electrode was quite effective not only to detect DA, AA and UA individually but also in simultaneous determination of these species in a mixture. The overlapping anodic peaks of DA, AA and UA were resolved into three well-defined voltammetric peaks in CV and DPV. The catalytic peak currents obtained from CV and DPV increased linearly with concentration. The relative standard deviation (% R.S.D., n = 10) for AA, DA and UA were less than 2.0% and DA, AA and UA can be determined in the ranges of 0.103-1.65, 0.024-0.384 and 0.021-0.336 mM, respectively. In addition, the modified electrode also shows good sensitivity, and stability. Satisfactory results were achieved for the determination of DA, AA and UA in dopamine injection solution, vitamin C tablets and human urine samples.