Imaging Structure Sensitive Catalysis on Different Shape-Controlled Platinum Nanoparticles

Nanoparticle-modified electrode with size- and shape-dependent electrocatalytic activities

The size, shape, composition, and crystalline structures of noble metal nanoparticles are the key parameters in determining their electrocatalytic performance. Here, we report on a robust chemical-tethering approach to immobilizing gold nanoparticles onto transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) glass electrode surfaces to systematically investigate their size- and shape-dependent electrocatalysis toward a methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Monodisperse 20 nm nanospheres (NS20s), 45 nm nanospheres (NS45s), and 20 nm × 63 nm nanorods (NRs), which could be chemically tethered to ITO-surface-forming submonolayers without any aggregation, were synthesized. These nanoparticle-modified ITO electrodes exhibited strong electrocatalytic activities toward MOR and ORR, but their mass current densities were highly dependent on the particle sizes and shapes. For particles with similar shapes, the size determined the mass current densities: smaller particle sizes led to greater catalytic current densities per unit mass because of the greater surface-to-volume ratio (NS20s > NS45s). For particles with comparable sizes, the shape or crystalline structure governed the selectivity of the electrocatalytic reactions: NS45 exhibited a higher mass current density in MOR than did NRs because its dominant (111) facets were exposed, whereas NRs exhibited a higher mass current density in ORR because its dominant (100) facets were exposed.

Controlled synthesis of Pd-Pt alloy hollow nanostructures with enhanced catalytic activities for oxygen reduction

Pd-Pt alloy nanocrystals (NCs) with hollow structures such as nanocages with porous walls and dendritic hollow structures and Pd@Pt core-shell dendritic NCs could be selectively synthesized by a galvanic replacement method with uniform Pd octahedral and cubic NCs as sacrificial templates. Fine control over the degree of galvanic replacement of Pd with Pt allowed the production of Pd-Pt NCs with distinctly different morphologies. The synthesized hollow NCs exhibited considerably enhanced oxygen reduction activities compared to those of Pd@Pt core-shell NCs and a commercial Pt/C catalyst, and their electrocatalytic activities were highly dependent on their morphologies. The Pd-Pt nanocages prepared from octahedral Pd NC templates exhibited the largest improvement in catalytic performance. We expect that the present work will provide a promising strategy for the development of efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalysts and can also be extended to the preparation of other hybrid or hetero-nanostructures with desirable morphologies and functions.

An integrated AFM-Raman instrument for studying heterogeneous catalytic systems: a first showcase

The integration of Atomic Force Microscopy and Raman spectroscopy is tested for use in heterogeneous catalysis research by a preliminary investigation, the photo-oxidation of rhodamine-6G. Temperature and atmosphere were varied in an in situ cell to show compatibility with realistic reaction conditions.

Plasmonic-based imaging of local square wave voltammetry

Square wave voltammetry (SWV) is widely used in electrochemical analysis and sensors because of its high sensitivity and efficient rejection of background current, but SWV by the conventional electrochemical detection method does not provide spatial resolution. We report here a plasmonic method to image local SWV, which opens the door for analyzing heterogeneous electrochemical reactions and for high-throughput detections of microarrays. We describe the basic principle, validate the principle by comparing the plasmonic-based SWV with those obtained with the conventional method, and demonstrate imaging capability for local electrochemical analysis.

Enhanced electrocatalytic oxygen reduction through electrostatic assembly of Pt nanoparticles onto porous carbon supports from SnCl2-stabilized suspensions

Monodisperse Pt nanoparticles with atomic structures that span the cluster to crystal transition have recently been synthesized in electrostatically stabilized, aqueous-based suspensions. In the present study, the anionic charge from the stabilizing SnCl(2) sheath adsorbed on the surface of these particles is used for the first time to assemble Pt directly onto porous carbon supports via electrostatic assembly. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) reveals that these assemblies have substantially higher Pt-C dispersions than obtained from precipitation methods commonly used for commercial electrocatalyst systems. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) are used to determine that loadings of 10-30% by weight Pt (particle packing fractions from 0.05 to 0.25) are obtained through a single electrostatic application of these particles on Vulcan carbon, depending on particle size. The highest average oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mass activity obtained using this approach is 90.4 A/g(Pt) at 0.9 V vs RHE in 0.1 M perchloric acid is with 1-2 nm particles that exhibit a transitional atomic structure. This activity compares to an average value of 74.0 A/g(Pt) obtained from densely packed electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) assemblies of unsupported particles and 36.7 A/g(Pt) commercial Vulcan electrocatalyst from Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo (TKK). Enhanced activity is observed with electrostatic assembly of any particle size on Vulcan relative to unsupported or commercial electrocatalyst with comparable durability. Such enhanced activity is attributed to improved reactant accessibility to the catalyst surface due to the increase in particle dispersion. An extinction coefficient of 7.41 m(2)/g at 352 nm is obtained across the entire cluster to crystal transition from 20 atom clusters to 2.9 nm single crystal nanoparticles, indicating that observed variation in ORR activity with particle size may be associated primarily with changes in atomic surface structure as opposed to the metallic character of the nanoparticles as assessed by UV-vis spectroscopy.