Formation and Functioning of Bimetallic Nanocatalysts: The Power of X‐ray Probes

Bimetallic nanocatalysts are key enablers of current chemical technologies, including car exhaust converters and fuel cells, and play a crucial role in industry to promote a wide range of chemical reactions. However, owing to significant characterization challenges, insights in the dynamic phenomena that shape and change the working state of the catalyst await further refinement. Herein, we discuss the atomic‐scale processes leading to mono‐ and bimetallic nanoparticle formation and highlight the dynamics and kinetics of lifetime changes in bimetallic catalysts with showcase examples for Pt‐based systems. We discuss how in situ and operando X‐ray spectroscopy, scattering, and diffraction can be used as a complementary toolbox to interrogate the working principles of today's and tomorrow's bimetallic nanocatalysts.     

Bimetallic Pt-Au nanocatalysts electrochemically deposited on graphene and their electrocatalytic characteristics towards oxygen reduction and methanol oxidation

The burgeoning demand for clean and energy-efficient fuel cell system requires electrocatalysts to deliver greater activity and selectivity. Bimetallic catalysts have proven superior to single metal catalysts in this respect. This work reports the preparation, characterization, and electrocatalytic characteristics of a new bimetallic nanocatalyst. The catalyst, Pt-Au-graphene, was synthesized by electrodeposition of Pt-Au nanostructures on the surface of graphene sheets, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and voltammetry. The morphology and composition of the nanocatalyst can be easily controlled by adjusting the molar ratio between Pt and Au precursors. The electrocatalytic characteristics of the nanocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) were systematically investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The Pt-Au-graphene catalysts exhibits higher catalytic activity than Au-graphene and Pt-graphene catalysts for both the ORR and the MOR, and the highest activity is obtained at a Pt/Au molar ratio of 2:1. Moreover, graphene can significantly enhance the long-term stability of the nanocatalyst toward the MOR by effectively removing the accumulated carbonaceous species formed in the oxidation of methanol from the surface of the catalyst. Therefore, this work has demonstrated that a higher performance of ORR and the MOR could be realized at the Pt-Au-graphene electrocatalyst while Pt utilization also could be greatly diminished. This method may open a general approach for the morphology-controlled synthesis of bimetallic Pt-M nanocatalysts, which can be expected to have promising applications in fuel cells.     

Palladium-based bimetallic catalysts for highly selective semihydrogenation of alkynes using ex situ generated hydrogen

Semihydrogenation of alkynes to alkenes is an important and fundamental reaction in many industrial and synthetic applications and often suffers low selectivity because of the overhydrogenation. Here, highly selective semihydrogenation of alkynes is achieved by using H₂ ex situ generated from formic acid dehydrogenation with palladium (Pd)-based bimetallic catalysts through a two-chamber reactor in this work, realizing efficient utilization of H₂ and selective production of alkenes under mild reaction conditions. The Pd-based bimetallic catalysts show excellent catalytic performances for semihydrogenation of alkynes (PdZn bimetallic catalyst) and dehydrogenation of formic acid (PdAg bimetallic catalyst) in the two-chamber reactor.     

铜纳米粒子负载于钴纳米片的双金属催化剂催化CO选择性加氢

使用赖氨酸作为表面活性剂模板, 合成了Cu纳米粒子负载于Co纳米片的双金属催化剂Cu/Co. 与常规的Cu-Co双金属纳米颗粒催化剂相比, Cu/Co催化剂对CO选择性加氢反应表现出特殊的结构效应, 提高了CO转化率和高级醇选择性, 降低了甲烷选择性. Cu/Co催化剂中, Cu(111)面与Co(100)面相互作用的功能化界面有利于深入研究金属-金属的相互作用. 这种双金属催化剂可以将模型催化剂和现实催化应用联系起来, 将有助于获得对合成气转化制高级醇反应机理的本质认识.     

SiO2负载的Au-Ni双金属催化剂在乙炔选择加氢反应中的应用

负载型Au催化剂在乙炔选择加氢反应中表现出很高的乙烯选择性,但其转化率相对较低.通过添加第二种金属如Pd,Fe,Ag和Cu等,制备双金属催化剂是提高其在加氢反应中催化活性的一种非常有效的手段.其中Au-Pd双金属催化剂是最受关注的体系之一,Pd的加入可以非常显著地提高其催化乙炔选择加氢反应的活性.据文献报道,与Pd同一主族的Ni也具有较好的加氢活性.尽管与Pd相比,Ni很难与Au形成合金,但目前已有Au-Ni双金属催化剂在多种反应中表现出协同效应的报道,如水气变换、CO氧化以及芳香硝基化合物选择加氢等.因此,向Au催化剂中添加Ni也可能提高催化剂在乙炔选择加氢反应中的催化活性.因此,我们采用两步法制备了一系列SiO2负载的具有不同Ni:Au原子比的Au-Ni双金属催化剂,并将其用于乙炔选择加氢反应,发现Au-Ni双金属催化剂在该反应中表现出了显著的协同效应,其活性明显优于相应单金属催化剂的活性.尽管其乙烯选择性略低于单金属Au催化剂,但明显高于单金属Ni催化剂.通过调节还原温度和/或Ni:Au的比例,对催化剂的性能进行了优化.结果显示,当Ni:Au=0.5时,催化剂表现出最优的综合性能,即兼具较高的乙炔转化率和乙烯选择性.为了研究Au-Ni双金属催化剂中金属纳米粒子的结构、组成以及Au-Ni之间的相互作用,我们对催化剂进行了X射线衍射(XRD)、高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM)、能量散射谱(EDS)以及原位红外光谱(DRIFTS)表征.XRD和TEM结果显示,催化剂中的Au-Ni双金属纳米粒子都具有高分散和粒径均匀的特点.通过EDS分析,发现在Au-Ni双金属催化剂中的单个金属纳米粒子同时含有Au和Ni两种元素,尽管每个纳米粒子中Ni:Au的比例有差异.HRTEM结果发现,Au-Ni双金属纳米粒子的晶格间距介于Au(111)和Ni(111)的晶面间距之间,说明在Au-Ni双金属催化剂中有Au-Ni合金形成.原位DRIFTS结果显示,在Au-Ni双金属催化剂中,Au的存在促进了Ni的还原,说明Au与Ni之间存在紧密的相互作用.综上可见,Au和Ni在乙炔选择加氢反应中所表现出的协同效应主要归功于Au-Ni合金的形成,其中金属态Ni起主要的活性作用,而Au的存在则提高了催化剂的乙烯选择性.     

Versatile carbon supported mono and bimetallic nanocomposites: synthesis,characterization and their potential application for furfural reduction

Biomass conversion has been developed by testing various metal based carbon catalysts. Most of the reported catalysts either use very expensive metals or support that provides lower selectivity. In this context, we fabricated new carbon based nanocomposites and studied their catalytic application for furfural reduction – a promising biomass derived molecule. The mono (Cu, Co and Ni) and bimetallic (CuCo and CuNi) nanoparticle supported on commercial graphite (CG) were prepared and characterized by TEM, EDS, XRD and Raman spectroscopy. The analysis revealed that the nanocomposites are made up of metallic nanoparticles with average particle size of 5–13 nm on the graphite matrix. The obtained results indicated that the Cu+Ni@CG catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity for furfural reduction, thus leaving Cu+Ni as the finest and cost effective catalyst for this study.     

A General One-Pot Methodology for the Preparation of Mono- and Bimetallic Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotubes: Application in the Semi-hydrogenation of Alkynes and Acetylene

A facile and straightforward methodology for the preparation of monometallic (copper and palladium) and bimetallic nanocatalysts (NiCu and PdCu) stabilized by a N-heterocyclic carbene ligand is reported. Both colloidal and supported nanoparticles (NPs) on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared in a one-pot synthesis with outstanding control on their size, morphology and composition. These catalysts were evaluated in the selective hydrogenation of alkynes and alkynols. PdCu/CNTs revealed an efficient catalytic system providing high selectivity in the hydrogenation of terminal and internal alkynes. Moreover, this catalyst was tested in the semi-hydrogenation of acetylene in industrially relevant acetylene/ethylene-rich model gas feeds and showed excellent stability even after 40 h of reaction.     

聚苯并噁嗪固载钯基纳米催化剂在芳香醇氧化反应中的应用

以球状聚苯并噁嗪为载体, 采用浸渍热解法合成了钯炭纳米催化剂. 通过透射电子显微镜观察发现, 钯纳米粒子几乎全部均匀分布在载体上, 且尺寸均一, 平均直径约为3.5 nm. 结果表明, 载体表面含有丰富的含氮含氧官能团, 氮和氧原子与钯之间存在相互作用, 从而使聚苯并噁嗪能够有效固载钯纳米粒子. 采用相同的方法进一步合成Pd-Au/C和Pd-Pt/C双金属催化剂, Pd-Au和Pd-Pt纳米粒子也展现出良好的分散性, 无明显团聚现象, 平均直径分别为4.3和4.2 nm, 进一步说明聚苯并噁嗪对金属活性组分的有效固载. 将催化剂应用于苯甲醇氧化反应, 其中Pd₁-Au₁/C在2 h的转化率为98%, 对产物苯甲醛的选择性大于99%, 该催化剂经过焙烧可恢复催化活性, 表现出良好的循环稳定性, 并能将不同取代基的芳香醇氧化为相应的醛, 是一种良好的醇氧化催化剂.     

Dehydrocyclization of Diphenylamine to Carbazole over Platinum-Based Bimetallic Catalysts

 Gas phase dehydrocyclization of diphenylamine (DPA) to carbazole over monometallic and bimetallic 0.4 wt% Pt-based catalysts in a fixed bed reactor was studied in the presence of hydrogen at a temperature of 550 ^oC. Alumina and carbon supported Pt catalysts showed very high initial activity (> 95%). The selectivity for carbazole over carbon supported Pt catalysts was slightly lower. Doping of the catalyst with potassium led to an increase in the selectivity for carbazole by 15%. Bimetallic Pt-Sn catalysts prepared by co-impregnation were less selective than catalysts prepared by successive impregnation. The selectivity for carbazole over bimetallic Pt-Sn catalysts prepared by successive impregnation was 75%, but their activity decreased with increased Sn loading. Highly active and reasonably selective catalysts were Ir-doped bimetallic Pt-based catalysts. The conversion of diphenylamine over Pt-Ir catalysts was above 98% and the selectivity for carbazole was nearly 55%, while the lifetime was much longer.     

Selective liquid-phase semihydrogenation of functionalized acetylenes and propargylic alcohols with silica-supported bimetallic palladium-copper catalysts

Silica-supported, bimetallic palladium-copper catalysts were prepared in solution under mild conditions by reacting lithium di(4-tolyl)cuprate with palladium acetate in the presence of silica particles. Small bimetallic palladium-copper particles were deposited on the silica surface as confirmed with TEM-EDAX and EXAFS. The new material has been applied as catalyst in the liquid-phase semihydrogenation of mono- and disubstituted alkynes and showed high selectivity toward the cis-alkenes. The influence of addition of quinoline or potassium hydroxide to the semihydrogenation reaction mixture and the effects of exposure of the catalyst to air before use have been investigated.     

Direct Synthesis of Hydroquinones from Quinones through Sequential and Continuous‐Flow Hydrogenation‐Derivatization Using Heterogeneous Au–Pt Nanoparticles as Catalysts

Pt–Au bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts immobilized on dimethyl polysilane (Pt–Au/(DMPSi‐Al₂O₃)) have been developed for selective hydrogenation of quinones to hydroquinones. High reactivity, selectivity, and robustness of the catalysts were confirmed under continuous‐flow conditions. Various direct derivatizations of quinones, such as methylation, acetylation, trifluoromethanesulfonylation, methacrylation, and benzoylation were successfully performed under sequential and continuous‐flow conditions to afford the desired products in good to excellent yields. Especially, air‐sensitive hydroquinones, such as anthrahydroquinones and naphthohydroquinones, could be successfully generated and derivatized under closed sequential and continuous‐flow conditions without decomposition.     

In situ XRD Studies on Heat-treated PtRu/C Nanocatalysts

Extremely small PtRu/C nanocatalysts were prepared via a carbonyl route. A thorough in situ reduction X-ray structural characterization of these catalysts was performed. After synthesis and storage under ambient conditions, the diffraction patterns of PtRu/C catalysts were seriously modified, indicating the surface oxide formation. In the reduced state, the particle size is around 2 nm. The observed relative fluctuations of lattice constants are 3%, which is far too large to be explained by a compositional fluctuation. Their origin is attributed to strong but isotropic strains and is related to the alloy formation. The annealing experiments show all the catalysts present an exceptional thermal stability when annealed in inert ambient, especially that of the Pt₁Ru₁/C catalyst. Besides, it is interesting to note that there is no thermal expansion evidence from the patterns.     

金属有机骨架高温自还原制备高性能等级孔碳负载Co基催化剂

以钴基金属有机框架为前驱体, 利用一步高温碳化自还原法, 通过精确调控碳化过程, 实现等级孔道结构及钴纳米颗粒分散性的可控调节, 制备出高催化活性及产物选择性的等级孔碳负载Co基催化剂. 研究发现, 600 ℃碳化后的催化剂为具有高比表面积的等级孔道结构和高分散的钴纳米颗粒, 在选择性催化1,3-丁二烯加氢反应中, 丁二烯完全转化温度低至60 ℃, 对应丁烯的选择性高达61%, 实现了低温高选择性催化加氢.     

Kinetics of lactose and rhamnose oxidation over supported metal catalysts

Several mono- and bimetallic Pd, Pt, Rh and Ru supported on alumina and active carbon catalysts were characterized by CO chemisorption, nitrogen adsorption, XPS and XRD and acidity titrations were performed for active carbon supported catalysts. These catalysts were tested in oxidation of two sugars, namely lactose and rhamnose, at 60 °C and at 70 °C under slightly alkaline conditions (pH 8) with molecular oxygen. The results revealed that there is an optimum metal particle size in a range of 3-10 nm giving the highest initial TOFs for both oxidations. Furthermore, the catalytic activities and conversions were related to other catalyst properties, such as the type and amount of promoters and the presence of different phases. In situ catalyst potential measurements revealed that there is an inverse correlation between the increase of catalyst potential as a function of sugar conversion and the catalyst activity after prolonged reaction times. This method is a valuable tool for in situ characterization of catalysts correlating well with their activities.     

Synthesis and characterization of niobium-promoted cobalt/iron catalysts supported on carbon nanotubes for the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide

Bimetallic Co /Fe catalysts supported on carbon nanotubes( CNTs) were prepared,and niobium( Nb) was added as promoter to the 70 Co ∶30Fe /CNT catalyst. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized,and the catalytic performances were analyzed at the same operation conditions( H_2 ∶CO( volume ratio) = 2 ∶1,p = 1 MPa,and t = 260 ℃) in a tubular fixed-bed microreactor system. The addition of Nb to the bimetallic catalyst decreases the average size of the oxide nanoparticles and improves the reducibility of the bimetallic catalyst. Evaluation of the catalyst performance in a Fischer-Tropsch reaction shows that the catalyst results in high selectivity to methane,and the selectivity to C_(5+) increased slightly in the bimetallic catalyst unlike that in the monometallic catalysts. The addition of 1% Nb to the bimetallic catalyst increases CO conversion and selectivity to C_(5+). Meanwhile,a decrease in methane selectivity is observed.     

In-situ loading ultrafine AuPd particles on ceria: highly active catalyst for solvent-free selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol

Ce(III) oxide was synthesized under the protection of nitrogen gas, which had strong ability to reduce noble metal ions (e.g., Au, Pd ions) into metallic forms under oxygen-free conditions. On the basis of the surface redox reaction between the Ce(III) oxide support and noble metal ions, an effective and novel approach was presented to prepare noble metal/CeO(2) nanocatalysts, and a series of AuPd/CeO(2) nanocomposites with different Au:Pd molar ratios and metal loadings were obtained in the absence of any extra reducing and protective agents. The resultant composites were characterized by different techniques including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microspectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron microspectroscopy, and ICP-AES analysis. It was demonstrated that in the AuPd/CeO(2) composites the content of Ce(III) reached about 30%, and the AuPd bimetallic particles with average size of 2.6 or 3.3 nm and narrow size distribution were uniformly distributed on the CeO(2) nanorods. The AuPd/CeO(2) composites were found to be excellent heterogeneous nanocatalysts for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol under solvent-free conditions. It was shown that all the AuPd/CeO(2) catalysts exhibited good selectivity toward benzaldehyde; especially, the catalyst with Au:Pd = 1:5 and metal loading of 1.2 wt % displayed extremely high activity with a TOF = 30.1 s(-1) at 160 °C.     

MIL-100(Fe) Supported Pt−Co Nanoparticles as Active and Selective Heterogeneous Catalysts for Hydrogenation of 1,3-Butadiene

Superior catalytic performance for selective 1,3-butadiene (1,3-BD) hydrogenation can usually be achieved with supported bimetallic catalysts. In this work, Pt−Co nanoparticles and Pt nanoparticles supported on metal–organic framework MIL-100(Fe) catalysts (MIL=Materials of Institut Lavoisier, PtCo/MIL-100(Fe) and Pt/MIL-100(Fe)) were synthesized via a simple impregnation reduction method, and their catalytic performance was investigated for the hydrogenation of 1,3-BD. Pt1Co1/MIL-100(Fe) presented better catalytic performance than Pt/MIL-100(Fe), with significantly enhanced total butene selectivity. Moreover, the secondary hydrogenation of butenes was effectively inhibited after doping with Co. The Pt1Co1/MIL-100(Fe) catalyst displayed good stability in the 1,3-BD hydrogenation reaction. No significant catalyst deactivation was observed during 9 h of hydrogenation, but its catalytic activity gradually reduces for the next 17 h. Carbon deposition on Pt1Co1/MIL-100(Fe) is the reason for its deactivation in 1,3-BD hydrogenation reaction. The spent Pt1Co1/MIL-100(Fe) catalyst could be regenerated at 200 °C, and regenerated catalysts displayed the similar 1,3-BD conversion and butene selectivity with fresh catalysts. Moreover, the rate-determining step of this reaction was hydrogen dissociation. The outstanding activity and total butene selectivity of the Pt1Co1/MIL-100(Fe) catalyst illustrate that Pt−Co bimetallic catalysts are an ideal alternative for replacing mono-noble-metal-based catalysts in selective 1,3-BD hydrogenation reactions.     

常压下Pt-Bi双金属催化剂上甘油选择性氧化(英文)

制备了一系列活性碳(AC)负载的Pt-Bi双金属催化剂,考察了催化剂中Bi含量对其催化甘油选择性氧化反应性能的影响.结果表明,适量Bi的添加可以改善催化剂中Pt的氧化还原性能,从而有利于催化剂活性的提高和二羟基丙酮(DIHA)产物的生成.当Bi的含量为5%时,该催化剂的活性最高,甘油转化率和DIHA选择性分别达到91.5%和49.0%.表征结果显示,Pt-Bi颗粒的平均粒径为3.8nm,且高度分散在催化剂表面,这是该催化剂具有较高活性的主要原因.     

焙烧温度对Au/Fe2O3选择性氧化富氢气体中CO催化性能的影响

甲醇重整在线制氢作为质子交换膜燃料电池的燃料成为当前研究的热点。受重整反应动力学及热力学的限制，使得甲醇重整气(富氢气体)中除含有大量的氢气外还含有少量的CO，CO极易吸附在燃料电池阳极催化剂表面，使电池性能下降，因而必须去除重整气中的CO，选择性氧化脱除富氢气     

Bimetallic Cluster Provides a Higher Activity Electrocatalyst for Methanol Oxidation

The cluster complex Pt₂Ru₄(CO)₁₈ was used as a precursor to prepare a 60 wt% 1:2 Pt:Ru nanoparticles on carbon (PtRu/C) for use as an electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation. This bimetallic carbonyl cluster complex was found to provide smaller, more uniform bimetallic nanoparticle that exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity than a 60 wt% 1:1 Pt:Ru commercial catalyst from E-Tek. Using bimetallic cluster precursors simplifies the synthetic procedures by reducing the need for high temperature reduction and assures a more intimate mixing of the two different metals. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the catalyst obtained from the cluster precursor showed bimetallic nanoparticles having a narrow size range of 2–3 nm that were dispersed uniformly over the surface of the support. Images of the commercial catalyst showed particles 3–4 nm in diameter that tended to agglomerate near the edges of the carbon support particles. Cyclic voltammograms of methanol oxidation from the two catalysts showed significantly higher activity for the cluster-derived catalyst. The onset potential for methanol oxidation for the cluster-derived catalyst was approximately 170 mV lower than that of the commercial catalyst at 100 A/g Pt, and approximately 250 mV lower at 400 A/g Pt. ^* This report is dedicated to Prof. Günter Schmid on the occasion of his 70th birthday.