Effect of the iridium oxide thin film on the electrochemical activity of platinum nanoparticles

The influence of the iridium oxide thin film on the electrocatalytic properties of platinum nanoparticles was investigated using the electro-oxidation of methanol and CO as a probe. The presence of the IrO(2) thin film leads to the homogeneous dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. For comparison, polycrystalline platinum and Pt nanoparticles dispersed on a Ti substrate in the absence of an IrO(2) layer (Ti/Pt) were also investigated in this study. Inverted and enhanced CO bipolar peaks were observed using an in situ electrochemical Fourier transform infrared technique during the methanol oxidation on the Pt nanoparticles dispersed on a Ti substrate. Electrochemical impedance studies showed that the charge transfer resistance was significantly lower for the Ti/IrO(2)/Pt electrode compared with that of the massive Pt and Ti/Pt nanoparticles. The presence of the IrO(2) thin film not only greatly increases the active surface area but also promotes CO oxidation at a much lower electrode potential, thus, significantly enhancing the electrocatalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles toward methanol electro-oxidation.     

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.     

酸洗Pt-Fe和Pt-Co催化剂在CO氧化反应中的对比研究

负载型纳米催化剂表面结构与其催化性能之间关系的研究一直受到广泛关注.由于其结构复杂使得人们在研究催化剂构效关系时遇到了很多困难.近年来,大量研究发现反转催化剂在众多反应中表现出优越的催化性能.反转催化剂是将过渡金属氧化物负载于其它金属表面.和传统金属/氧化物催化剂相比,反转催化剂更能突出氧化物在催化反应中的重要作用.众多研究表明,在氧化物-金属界面处存在特殊的作用,这种作用可以改变氧化物的电子特性和化学性质,进而产生较高的催化性能.傅强等人创建了金属氧化物负载于Pt表面的反转催化体系,其表现出了高的低温CO氧化反应性能.在氧化物和Pt之间的界面限域效应可以稳定氧化物中配位不饱和的金属阳离子.这种配位不饱和的氧化物提供了活化O2的活性位.目前,反转催化剂的研究主要集中在单晶模型体系中,在负载型催化剂中的研究还较少.我们以炭黑(CB)为载体,将还原后的Pt-Fe和Pt-Co催化剂经过酸洗制备了一种表面富Pt核为合金的结构.考察了酸洗后的Pt-Fe和Pt-Co催化剂经过不同温度氧化后的结构变化,并讨论了其结构与CO完全氧化反应(COOX)和CO选择氧化反应(CO-PROX)性能的关系.X射线粉末衍射(XRD),电感耦合等离子体发射光谱(ICP),透射电镜(TEM)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)表征结果表明,还原后的Pt基催化剂经过酸洗可以选择性去除纳米粒子表面的3d过渡金属,形成表面富Pt体相为合金的结构.将酸洗后的Pt-Fe和Pt-Co催化剂在不同温度下空气中氧化,发现近表层的Fe(Co)会扩散到粒子表面上,形成过度氧化的Fe2O3(Co3O4)表面结构.氧化后的催化剂在COOX和CO-PROX反应中表现出截然不同的催化性能.酸洗后的Pt-Fe(Pt-Co)催化剂经过不同温度氧化后在COOX反应中活性都较差,室温下的CO转化率只有不到30%,CO完全转化的温度超过100oC,相当于纯Pt催化剂的活性.这说明Pt表面过度氧化的Fe2O3(Co3O4)对CO氧化反应的促进作用不明显.而氧化后的催化剂在CO-PROX反应中表现出较高的活性,250oC(或350oC)氧化后的酸洗Pt-Fe催化剂室温下的CO转化率接近100%,250oC(或350oC)氧化后的酸洗Pt-Co催化剂室温下的CO转化率也达到了70%.结合表征和反应结果,我们认为氧化处理形成的表面过度氧化的金属氧化物(Fe2O3,Co3O4)在COOX的催化性能较差.通入CO-PROX反应气后,气氛中大量H2的存在和Pt表面的氢溢流效应可以使得表面Fe2O3,Co3O4在室温下被还原成配位不饱和的FeO,CoO.这种配位不饱和的氧化物在表面Pt的限域作用和大量H2气氛下比较稳定,并且具有较强的活化解离O2的能力,进而提高了CO-PROX反应的活性.为了进一步证实催化剂表面氧化物与其催化性能的关系,我们在室温下进行了两种反应气的循环实验测试.测试结果表明,对于氧化后的酸洗Pt-Fe催化剂,COOX反应中的表面Fe2O3和CO-PROX反应中的表面FeO可以通过变换反应气氛实现两种氧化物的相互转变,并表现出完全不同的催化性能.对于氧化后的酸洗Pt-Co催化剂,CO-PROX反应中形成的CoO表面结构在COOX反应中也比较稳定,在两种反应气中表现出相似的催化性能.     

Improved CO oxidation activity in the presence and absence of hydrogen over cluster-derived PtFe/SiO2 catalysts

The catalytic performance of cluster-derived PtFe/SiO(2) bimetallic catalysts for the oxidation of CO has been examined in the absence and presence of H(2) (PROX) and compared to that of Pt/SiO(2). PtFe(2)/SiO(2) and Pt(5)Fe(2)/SiO(2) samples were prepared from PtFe(2)(COD)(CO)(8) and Pt(5)Fe(2)(COD)(2)(CO)(12) organometallic cluster precursors, respectively. FTIR data indicate that both clusters can be deposited intact on the SiO(2) support. The clusters remained weakly bonded to the SiO(2) surface and could be extracted with CH(2)Cl(2) without any significant changes in their structure. Subsequent heating in H(2) led to complete decarbonylation of the supported clusters at approximately 350 degrees C and the formation of Pt-Fe nanoparticles with sizes in the 1-2 nm range, as indicated by HRTEM imaging. A few larger nanoparticles enriched in Pt were also observed, indicating that a small fraction of the deposited clusters were segregated to the individual components following the hydrogen treatment. A higher degree of metal dispersion and more homogeneous mixing of the two metals were observed during HRTEM/XEDS analysis with the cluster-derived samples, as compared to a PtFe/SiO(2) catalyst prepared through a conventional impregnation route. Furthermore, the cluster-derived PtFe(2)/SiO(2) and Pt(5)Fe(2)/SiO(2) samples were more active than Pt/SiO(2) and the conventionally prepared PtFe/SiO(2) sample for the oxidation of CO in air. However, substantial deactivation was also observed, indicating that the properties of the Pt-Fe bimetallic sites in the cluster-derived samples were altered by exposure to the reactants. The Pt(5)Fe(2)/SiO(2) sample was also more active than Pt/SiO(2) for PROX with a selectivity of approximately 92% at 50 degrees C. In this case, the deactivation with time on stream was substantially slower, indicating that the highly reducing environment under the PROX conditions helps maintain the properties of the active Pt-Fe bimetallic sites.     

Nanostructured Pt supported on cocoon-derived carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation

Development of suitable supports has been proven as an important preparation process for high active catalysts of fuel cell. In this work, a carbon material was prepared by pyrolyzing cocoons with ferric chloride as activator, and then Pt nanoparticles (ca. 50 wt.%) were deposited on its surface. The characteristics of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy showed that the face-centered cubic structured Pt nanoparticles with nano-sized crystals interconnected each other via grain boundaries were formed on the surface of pyrolyzed cocoons. Afterwards, electrochemical results demonstrate that the nanostructured Pt supported on this support exhibits higher catalytic activity and CO tolerance than Pt nanoparticles supported on Vulcan carbon for methanol oxidation reaction.     

Low-temperature activation conditions for PAMAM dendrimer templated Pt nanoparticles

Surface immobilized polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer templated Pt nanoparticles were employed as precursors to heterogeneous catalysts. CO oxidation catalysis and in situ infrared spectroscopy were used to evaluate conditions for dendrimer removal. Infrared spectroscopy showed that PAMAM dendrimer amide bonds begin decomposing at temperatures as low as 75 degrees C. Although the amide stretches are completely removed after 3 h of oxidation at 300 degrees C, 16 h were required to reach maximum catalytic activity. Further treatment under oxidizing or reducing atmospheres did not cause substantial changes in activity. Infrared spectroscopy of the activated materials indicated that organic residues, probably surface carboxylates, are formed during oxidation. These surface species passivate the Pt NPs, and their removal was required to fully activate the catalyst. Substantially less forcing activation conditions were possible by employing a CO/O(2)/He oxidation treatment. At appropriate temperatures, CO acts as a protecting group for the Pt surface, helping to prevent fouling of the nanoparticle by organic residues. CO oxidation catalysis and infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed CO indicated that the low temperature activation treatment yielded supported nanoparticles that were substantially similar to those prepared with more forcing conditions.     

Identifying the active photocatalytic H2-production sites on TiO2-supported Pt nanoparticles by the in-situ infrared spectrum of CO

Identifying the active catalytic centers on catalyst surface is significant for exploring the catalytic reaction mechanism and further guiding the synthesis of high-performance catalysts.However,it remains a challange in developing the site-specific technology for the identification of the active catalytic centers.Herein,in-situ infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed CO,photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) test and theoretical simulation were used to distinguish and quantify the different surface sites and their H2-production catalytic activity on TiO_2-supported Pt nanoparticles(Pt NPs).Two different types of surface Pt sites,tip Pt(Pt_(tip)) and edge/terrace Pt_(edge/terrace),on TiO_2-supported Pt nanoparticles(Pt NPs) were identified.The photocatalytic H2-production activity of TiO_2-supported Pt NPs shows a linear functional relationship with the number of Pt_(tip) sites.However,the number of Pt_(edge/terracesites) produced little effect on the activity of TiO_2-supported Pt NPs.First-principle simulations confirmed that H2-evolution at the Pttipsites owns a lower energy barrier than that at Pt_(edge/terrace).This findings would be helpful for the fabrication of high-performance Pt catalysts.     

Surface chemistry on bimetallic alloy surfaces: adsorption of anions and oxidation of CO on Pt3Sn(111)

The microscopic structure of the Pt(3)Sn(111) surface in an electrochemical environment has been studied by a combination of ex situ low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and low-energy ion scattering (LEIS) and in situ surface X-ray scattering (SXS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) the clean-annealed surface produces a p(2 x 2) LEED pattern consistent with the surface composition, determined by LEIS, of 25 at. % Sn. SXS results show that the p(2 x 2) structure can be "transferred" from UHV into 0.5 M H(2)SO(4) and that the surface structure remains stable from 0.05 to 0.8 V. At 0.05 V the expansion of Pt surface atoms, ca. +2% from the bulk lattice spacing, is induced by adsorption of underpotential-deposited (UPD) hydrogen. At 0.5 V, where Pt atoms are covered by (bi)sulfate anions, the topmost layer is contracted relative to 0.05 V, although Sn atoms expand significantly, ca. 8.5%. The p(2 x 2) structure is stable even in solutions containing CO. In contrast to the Pt(111)-CO system, no ordered structures of CO are formed on the Pt(3)Sn(111) surface and the topmost layer expands relatively little (ca. 1.5%) from the bulk lattice spacing upon the adsorption of CO. The binding site geometry of CO on Pt(3)Sn(111) is determined by FTIR. In contrast to the near invariant band shape of a-top CO on Pt(111), changes in band morphology (splitting of the band) and vibrational properties (increase in the frequency mode) are clearly visible on the Pt(3)Sn(111) surface. To explain the line shape of the CO bands, we suggest that in addition to alloying effects other factors, such as intermolecular repulsion between coadsorbed CO and OH species, are controlling segregation of CO into cluster domains where the local CO coverage is different from the coverage expected for the CO-CO interaction on an unmodified Pt(111) surface.     

Using layer-by-layer assembly of polyaniline fibers in the fast preparation of high performance fuel cell nanostructured membrane electrodes

Membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) for fuel cells require optimization of their nanoscale organization to reach performance parameters, which include enhanced power density, increased catalyst utilization and reduced cost. We applied sprayed layer-by-layer assembly to produce a high activity MEA for H(2)/O(2) fuel cells from polyaniline fibers (PANI-F). This technique produces "fast-prepared" membranes with nanoscale structure, which allows to adequately address specific tuning of their porosity, platinum loading, electronic conductivity, and proton conductivity. Pt nanoparticles were attached to the PANI-F in a reaction of selective heterogeneous nucleation. After functionalization, Pt/PANI-F were assembled with Nafion. Microscopic investigation revealed that functionalized polyaniline fibers formed a highly porous yet tight network of interpenetrating conductors connected to the catalytic Pt particles. The Pt/PANI-F LBL ultrathin MEA demonstrated a power densitiy of 63 mW cm(-2) and yielded a Pt utilization of 437.5 W g(-1) Pt which is comparable to the traditional fuel cell using carbon black as Pt support. Moreover, the amount of Pt used in this work is almost 2 times lower than for usual carbon-supported Pt catalysts.     

Size-dependent morphology of dealloyed bimetallic catalysts: linking the nano to the macro scale

Chemical dealloying of Pt binary alloy precursors has emerged as a novel and important preparation process for highly active fuel cell catalysts. Dealloying is a selective (electro)chemical leaching of a less noble metal M from a M rich Pt alloy precursor material and has been a familiar subject of macroscale corrosion technology for decades. The atomic processes occurring during the dealloying of nanoscale materials, however, are virtually unexplored and hence poorly understood. Here, we have investigated how the morphology and intraparticle composition depend on the particle size of dealloyed Pt-Co and Pt-Cu alloy nanoparticle precursor catalysts. To examine the size-morphology-composition relation, we used a combination of high-resolutionscanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron energy loss (EEL) spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and surface-sensitive cycling voltammetry. Our results indicate the existence of three distinctly different size-dependent morphology regimes in dealloyed Pt-Co and Pt-Cu particle ensembles: (i) The arrangement of Pt shell surrounding a single alloy core ("single core-shell nanoparticles") is exclusively formed by dealloying of particles below a characteristic diameter d(multiple cores) of 10-15 nm. (ii) Above d(multiple cores), nonporous bimetallic core-shell particles dominate and show structures with irregular shaped multiple Co/Cu rich cores ("multiple cores-shell nanoparticles"). (iii) Above the second characteristic diameter d(pores) of about 30 nm, the dealloyed Pt-Co and Pt-Cu particles start to show surface pits and nanoscale pores next to multiple Co/Cu rich cores. This structure prevails up to macroscopic bulklike dealloyed particles with diameter of more than 100 nm. The size-morphology-composition relationships link the nano to the macro scale and provide an insight into the existing material gap of dealloyed nanoparticles and highly porous bulklike bimetallic particles in corrosion science.     

催化剂活性位本质和构效关系的模型催化研究

明确催化剂的活性位本质和构建多相催化的结构和反应性能之间的准确关系是催化基础研究的重点,表面科学研究基于丰富的表征测试手段能够较好地在分子原子水平测定表面结构以明确催化剂活性位本质,并通过高压原位反应池测定相关催化反应性能,获得较可靠的催化剂构效关系。本文简要总结了近年来本人参与的几个模型催化研究例子,包括贵金属表面上CO和烷烃催化氧化的活性表面、纳米Au膜的制备和CO氧化的催化活性位、VO_x/Pt(111)上丙烷氧化的协同作用、Au Pd合金上醋酸乙烯酯合成Au的助催化作用、模型氧化物上纳米Pt的庚烷脱氢环化制甲苯的粒径关系等,以及相关模型催化研究技术的进展。     

Pt/glassy carbon model catalysts prepared from PS-b-P2VP micellar templates

Poly(styrene)-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) diblock copolymer was used as a micellar template to fabricate arrays of Pt nanoparticles on mica and glassy carbon (GC) supports. Polymer micellar deposition yields Pt nanoparticles with tunable particle size and surface number density on both mica and GC. After deposition of precursor-loaded micelles onto GC, oxygen plasma etching removes the polymer shell, followed by thermal treatment with H2 gas to reduce the Pt. Etching conditions were optimized to maximize removal of the polymer while minimizing damage to the GC. Arrays of Pt nanoparticles with controlled size and surface number density can be prepared on mica (for particle size characterization) and GC to make Pt/GC model catalysts. These model catalysts were characterized by tapping mode atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry to measure activity for oxidation of carbon monoxide or methanol. Cyclic voltammetry results demonstrate the existence of a correlation between Pt particle size and electrocatalytic properties including onset potential, tolerance of carbonaceous adsorbates, and intrinsic activity (based on active Pt area from CO stripping voltammetry). Results obtained with Pt/GC model catalysts duplicate prior results obtained with Pt/porous carbon catalysts therefore validating the synthesis approach and offering a new, tunable platform to study catalyst structure and other effects such as aging on proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) reactions.     

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.     

Photochemical preparation of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-stabilized platinum colloids and their deposition on titanium dioxide

Preparation processes for Pt-deposited TiO(2) (Pt/TiO(2)) by the synthesis of Pt nanoparticles and their deposition were pursued by transmission electron microscopy, extended X-ray absorption fine structure, UV-vis spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic studies. Colloidal dispersions of Pt particles stabilized by poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) were photochemically synthesized in aqueous ethanol solution. The average diameter of Pt particles was estimated to be 2.0 +/- 0.5 nm, which was almost unchanged by changing the reducing agent from ethanol to methanol and 2-propanol. The PVP-stabilized Pt particles were distributed over a TiO(2) surface only by mixing the Pt colloidal dispersions and TiO(2). CO was chemically coordinated on the Pt particles on a TiO(2) surface after heat treatment was carried out in an O(2) flow at 673 K to completely remove the residual PVP on Pt/TiO(2). Hydrogen reduction at 473 K did not increase the amount of CO adsorbed on Pt sites. The Pt/TiO(2) catalyst after the oxidation treatment showed higher activity for CO photooxidation than that obtained for pure TiO(2) catalyst. The CO photooxidation rate was not unchanged by the H(2) reduction.     

Kinetic modeling of CO(ad) monolayer oxidation on carbon-supported platinum nanoparticles

We present a theoretical study of CO(ad) electrooxidation on Pt nanoparticles. Effects of size and surface texture of nanoparticles on the interplay of relevant kinetic processes are investigated. Thereby, strong impacts of particle size on electrocatalytic activities, observed in experiments, are rationalized. Our theoretical approach employs the active site concept to account for the heterogeneous surface of nanoparticles. It, moreover, incorporates finite rates of surface mobility of adsorbed CO. As demonstrated, the model generalizes established mean field or nucleation and growth models. We find very good agreement of our model with chronoamperometric current transients at various particle sizes and electrode potentials (Maillard, F.; Savinova, E. R.; Stimming, U. J. Electroanal. Chem., in press, doi:10.1016/j.jelechem.2006.02.024). The full interplay of on-site reactivity at active sites and low surface mobility of CO(ad) unfolds on the smallest nanoparticles ( approximately 2 nm). In this case, the solution of the model requires kinetic Monte Carlo simulations specifically developed for this problem. For larger nanoparticles (>4 nm) the surface mobility of CO(ad) is high compared to the reaction rate constants, and the kinetic equations can be solved in the limiting case of infinite surface mobility. The analysis provides an insight into the prevailing reaction mechanisms and allows for the estimation of relevant kinetic parameters.     

Electro-oxidation of CO(chem) on Pt nanosurfaces: solution of the peak multiplicity puzzle

An understanding of the oxidation of chemisorbed CO (CO(chem)) on Pt nanoparticle surfaces is of major importance to fuel cell technology. Here, we report on the relation between Pt nanoparticle surface structure and CO(chem) oxidative stripping behavior. Oxidative stripping voltammograms are obtained for CO(chem) preadsorbed on cubic, octahedral, and cuboctahedral Pt nanoparticles that possess preferentially oriented and atomically flat domains. They are compared to those obtained for etched and thermally treated Pt(poly) electrodes that possess atomically flat, ordered surface domains separated by grain boundaries as well as those obtained for spherical Pt nanoparticles. A detailed analysis of the results reveals for the first time the presence of up to four voltammetric features in CO(chem) oxidative stripping transients, a prepeak and three peaks, that are assigned to the presence of surface domains that are either preferentially oriented or disordered. The interpretation reported in this article allows one to explain all features within the voltammograms for CO(chem) oxidative stripping unambiguously.     

Dynamics of surface catalyzed reactions; the roles of surface defects, surface diffusion, and hot electrons

The mechanism that controls bond breaking at transition metal surfaces has been studied with sum frequency generation (SFG), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and catalytic nanodiodes operating under the high-pressure conditions. The combination of these techniques permits us to understand the role of surface defects, surface diffusion, and hot electrons in dynamics of surface catalyzed reactions. Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy and kinetic measurements were performed under 1.5 Torr of cyclohexene hydrogenation/dehydrogenation in the presence and absence of H(2) and over the temperature range 300-500 K on the Pt(100) and Pt(111) surfaces. The structure specificity of the Pt(100) and Pt(111) surfaces is exhibited by the surface species present during reaction. On Pt(100), pi-allyl c-C6H9, cyclohexyl (C6H11), and 1,4-cyclohexadiene are identified adsorbates, while on the Pt(111) surface, pi-allyl c-C6H9, 1,4-cyclohexadiene, and 1,3-cyclohexadiene are present. A scanning tunneling microscope that can be operated at high pressures and temperatures was used to study the Pt(111) surface during the catalytic hydrogenation/dehydrogenation of cyclohexene and its poisoning with CO. It was found that catalytically active surfaces were always disordered, while ordered surface were always catalytically deactivated. Only in the case of the CO poisoning at 350 K was a surface with a mobile adsorbed monolayer not catalytically active. From these results, a CO-dominated mobile overlayer that prevents reactant adsorption was proposed. By using the catalytic nanodiode, we detected the continuous flow of hot electron currents that is induced by the exothermic catalytic reaction. During the platinum-catalyzed oxidation of carbon monoxide, we monitored the flow of hot electrons over several hours using a metal-semiconductor Schottky diode composed of Pt and TiO2. The thickness of the Pt film used as the catalyst was 5 nm, less than the electron mean free path, resulting in the ballistic transport of hot electrons through the metal. The electron flow was detected as a chemicurrent if the excess electron kinetic energy generated by the exothermic reaction was larger than the effective Schottky barrier formed at the metal-semiconductor interface. The measurement of continuous chemicurrent indicated that chemical energy of exothermic catalytic reaction was directly converted into hot electron flux in the catalytic nanodiode. We found the chemicurrent was well-correlated with the turnover rate of CO oxidation separately measured by gas chromatography.     

Studies of surface processes of electrocatalytic reduction of CO_2 on Pt(210), Pt(310) and Pt(510)

Surface processes of CO2 reduction on Pt(210), Pt(310), and Pt(510) electrodes were studied by cyclic voltammetry. Different surface structures of these platinum single crystal electrodes were obtained by various treatment conditions. The experimental results illustrated that the electrocatalytic activity of Pt single crystal electrodes towards CO2 reduction is decreased in an order of Pt(210)>Pt(310)>Pt(510), i.e., with the decrease of (110) step density on well-defined surfaces. When the surfaces were reconstructed due to oxygen adsorption, the catalytic activity of all the three electrodes has been enhanced to a cer- tain extent. Although the activity order remains unchanged, the electrocatalytic activity has been en- hanced more significantly as the density of (110) step sites is more intensive on the Pt single crystal surface. It has revealed that the more open the surface structure is, the more active the Pt single crystal electrode will be, and the easier for the electrode to be transformed into a surface structure that exhib- its higher activity under external inductions. However, the relatively ordered surfaces of Pt single crystal electrode are comparatively stable under the same external inductions. The present study has gained knowledge on the interaction between CO2 and Pt single crystal electrode surfaces at a micro- scopic level, and thrown new insight into understanding the surface processes of electrocatalytic re- duction of CO2.     

CO oxidation on nanostructured SnO(x)/Pt(111) surfaces: unique properties of reduced SnO(x)

We have investigated surface CO oxidation on "inverse catalysts" composed of SnO(x) nanostructures supported on Pt(111) using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy (LEISS) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). Nanostructures of SnO(x) were prepared by depositing Sn on Pt(111) pre-covered by NO(2) layers at low temperatures. XPS data show that the SnO(x) nanoparticles are highly reduced with Sn(II)O being the dominant oxide species, but the relative concentration of Sn(II) in the SnO(x) nanoparticles decreases with increasing Sn coverage. We find that the most active SnO(x)/Pt(111) surface for CO oxidation has smallest SnO(x) coverage. Increasing the surface coverage of SnO(x) reduces CO oxidation activity and eventually suppresses it altogether. The study suggests that reduced Sn(II)O, rather than Sn(IV)O(2), is responsible for surface CO oxidation. The occurrence of a non-CO oxidation reaction path involving reduced Sn(II)O species at higher SnO(x) coverages accounts for the decreased CO oxidation activity. From these results, we conclude that the efficacy of CO oxidation is strongly dependent on the availability of reduced tin oxide sites at the Pt-SnO(x) interface, as well as unique chemical properties of the SnO(x) nanoparticles.     

IR chemiluminescence probe of the vibrational energy distribution of CO2 formed during steady-state CO oxidation on Pt(111) and Pt(110) surfaces

The infrared (IR) chemiluminescence spectra of CO2 were measured during the steady-state CO + O2 reaction over Pt(110) and Pt(111) surfaces. Analysis of the IR emission spectra indicates that the bending vibrational temperature (TVB), as well as the antisymmetric vibrational temperature (TVAS), was higher on Pt(110) than on Pt(111). On the Pt(110) surface, the highly excited bending vibrational mode compared to the antisymmetric vibrational mode was observed under reaction conditions at low CO coverage (theta(CO) < 0.2) or at high surface temperatures (TS > or = 700 K). This can be related to the activated complex of CO2 formation in a more bent form on the inclined (111) terraces of the Pt(110)(1 x 2) structure. On the other hand, at high CO coverage (theta(CO) > 0.2) or at low surface temperatures (TS < 650 K), TVAS was higher than TVB, which can be caused by the reconstruction of the Pt(110)(1 x 2) surface to the (1 x 1) form with high CO coverage.