Shape-Control of Pt–Ru Nanocrystals: Tuning Surface Structure for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Methanol Oxidation

Synergism of Multicomponent Catalysis: One-Dimensional Pt-Rh-Pd Nanochain Catalysts for Efficient Methanol Oxidation

Designing Pt-based alloy catalysts with multicomponent composition and a controllable structure is important to improve the utilization efficiency of precious metals and catalytic activity, but it still face a lot of challenges for simple preparation. Herein, we used insulin amyloid fibrils as templates and their own one-dimensional spiral structure to synthesize Pt-Rh-Pd ternary alloy nanochains under mild conditions. The prepared Pt-Rh-Pd alloy nanochains (NCs) have uniform diameter, and the particle size is only 2 nm. This ultrafine structure increases the specific surface area of the catalyst to a certain extent, and the synergistic effect of the three metals improves the catalytic performance. Compared with commercial Pt/C and binary Pt-Rh NCs, the as-presented Pt-Rh-Pd NCs show better methanol oxidation activity ability and stability against CO poisoning. The peak current density of front sweep is 1.48 mA cm-2, which is 1.7 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C (0.89 mA cm-2) and 1.4 times higher than that of the Pt-Rh NCs (1.07 mA cm-2), indicating great application potential as high-performance electrocatalysts in fuel cells.

Highly sensitive and simple colorimetric assay of hydrogen peroxide and glucose in human serum via the smart synergistic catalytic mechanism

Due to the own defects of natural enzymes, artificial simulated enzymes are always concerned. Here, the fabricated graphene oxide (GO)/AuNPs nanocomposite exhibits strong synergistic catalysis of peroxidase-mimicking enzymes in combination with the novel property of GO catalytic interface and AuNPs-mediated electron transfer. It can efficiently catalyze the oxidation of enzyme substrate TMB by hydrogen peroxide to form blue TMB oxide. Based on this, the rapid and highly sensitive colorimetric detection of hydrogen peroxide was achieved. Because of the wonderfully synergistic coupling catalysis from GO/AuNPs nanocomposites, the developed artificial enzyme has ultra-strong catalytic activity. For the detection of hydrogen peroxide, the detection limit of this colorimetric analysis is as low as 4.2 × 10^-8 M, which is about 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than that of the assays using other single nanoparticles as nanozymes. And it shows high sensitivity. The catalytic oxidation of the prepared nanocomposites to TMB can be completed in minutes, and the response is extremely fast. Combined with the reaction of glucose and glucose oxidase, the colorimetric analysis also realizes the rapid and highly sensitive detection of glucose in human serum. The research results infer that the smart synergy is an effective way to improve the catalytic activity of mimic enzyme. Together with its simplicity in preparation, the GO/AuNPs nanocomposite has excellent development potential in biomedical detection and biosensor design.

Tiny Ir doping of sub-one-nanometer PtMn nanowires: highly active and stable catalysts for alcohol electrooxidation

One-dimensional (1D) Pt-based nanowires (NWs) materials serve as efficient catalysts for alcohol electrocatalysis. However, precisely tailoring their size towards sub-one-nanometer scale has been verified as an effective method for enhancing electrocatalytic properties, which is rarely studied. In this work, we developed a one-pot simple yet efficient method for synthesizing a kind of sub-one-nanometer tiny Ir-doped PtMn NWs. The prepared PtMnIr NWs have an ultrathin structure with a mean diameter of around only 0.97 nm (about 3-5 atomic thickness), which display large surface areas and promote superficial Pt atom utilization. With the robust tiny Ir incorporation, the composition-optimized Pt74Mn21Ir5 NWs showed enhanced mass activity, which was 1.51 and 1.53 times higher than those of non-Ir-doped Pt79Mn21 NWs for acidic ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). Moreover, benefiting from the atom-level ultrathin size and well-tuned ligand effect from Ir to PtMn, the EOR/MOR mass activities of sub-nanometric Pt74Mn21Ir5 NWs were 3.99- and 3.98-fold higher than those of Pt/C catalysts. More importantly, after successive EOR and MOR CV tests, the Ir-doped PtMn NWs still maintained 85.6% and 73.4% of the initial mass activity, which were much better than those of Pt79Mn21 NWs, Pt NWs, and Pt/C catalysts. This work could be extended to engineering other advanced materials with super sub-one-nanometer structure, which is beneficial for largely improving the catalytic performance.

Recent Achievements in Noble Metal Catalysts with Unique Nanostructures for Liquid Fuel Cells

In recent years, research efforts have been focused on the design and fabrication of highly efficient catalysts for liquid fuel cells, because the use of these cells is an important approach for alleviating environmental pollution and energy crises. However, the limitations of the catalytic performance of industrial Pt/C have strongly hindered the development of these fuel cells. The catalyst morphology has a strong impact on its performance; nanostructured catalysts are preferred as they offer large specific surface area and more exposed active centers. In view of this, many catalysts with unique structures have been synthesized in recent years, all of which show excellent catalytic performance characteristics. Despite these achievements, few efforts have been made to survey this field comprehensively. Herein, the recent advances in catalysts for liquid fuel cells are summarized, with a focus on noble metal catalysts with unique morphologies such as nanowires, nanosheets, and assembly structures. Their formation mechanisms are discussed critically. The relationship between the unique morphologies and excellent performance of these catalysts is also explored. This work may provide guidelines for the further development of liquid fuel cells.

Tunable Hollow Pt@Ru Dodecahedra via Galvanic Replacement for Efficient Methanol Oxidation

Pt-Ru nanocrystals are promising electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation in fuel cells. However, owing to the lattice mismatch and high reduction potential of Ru, the shape-controlled synthesis of Pt-Ru nanocrystals faces great challenges. Herein, we employ a galvanic replacement method to synthesize tunable hollow Pt@Ru dodecahedra via controlling the precursor concentration. Two typical structures, hollow Pt@Ru dodecahedra (h-Pt@Ru) and deformed hollow Pt@Ru dodecahedra (d-Pt@Ru), are obtained to exhibit superior electrocatalytic activities for methanol oxidation. The optimal d-Pt@Ru dodecahedra present a mass activity of 0.80 A mg_Pt^-1 and a specific activity of 1.61 mA cm_Pt^-2, which are 5.25 and 7.78 times higher than those of the commercial Pt/C, respectively. Remarkably, both h-Pt@Ru and d-Pt@Ru show lower oxidation potentials and higher CO-poisoning resistance for methanol oxidation than PtRu nanoparticles (NPs) and commercial Pt/C. This is attributed to the hollow dodecahedron structures with optimal spatial elemental distributions, leading to high utilization of Pt at edges and corners and the exposure of abundant Pt-Ru interfaces. Our strategy offers a facile method to engineer bimetallic metal catalysts regardless of lattice mismatch.

In situ sulfidation for controllable hetero-interface engineering of α-Ni(OH)2-Ni3S4 hybrid structures realizing robust electrocatalytic methanol oxidation

A series of α-Ni(OH)₂-Ni₃S₄ hybrid structures are prepared as advanced electrocatalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) via a feasible in situ sulfidation approach. The α-Ni(OH)₂-Ni₃S₄ hetero-interfaces endow the hybrid structures with reduced γ-NiOOH formation energy and methanol adsorption energy, and thus a significantly enhanced electrocatalytic activity for the MOR.

Monodisperse thiourea functionalized graphene oxide-based PtRu nanocatalysts for alcohol oxidation

Addressed herein, thiourea functionalized graphene oxide-based PtRu nanocatalysts (PtRu@T/GO) has been synthesized and characterized by several techniques and performed for methanol oxidation reactions as novel catalysts. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was functionalized with thiourea (T/GO) in order to obtain monothiol functionalized graphene and increase the stability and activity of the nanocatalysts. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), TEM (transmission electron microscopy) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) were used for characterization of the prepared nanocatalysts. The results obtained from these techniques showed that the prepared nanocatalysts were in a highly crystalline form, well dispersed on T/GO, very small in size and colloidally stable. The average size of the synthesized nanocatalysts determined by TEM analysis was found to be 3.86 ± 0.59 nm. With HR-TEM analysis, the atomic lattice fringes of the nanocatalysts were calculated to be 0.23 nm. After the full characterization of the prepared nanocatalysts, they were tried for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and it was observed that 97.3% of the initial performance was maintained even after 1000 cycles while exhibiting great catalytic activity and stability with the help of T/GO. Thus, the arranged nanocatalysts displayed great heterogeneous catalyst characteristics for the methanol oxidation response.

Engineering 3D hierarchical thorn-like PtPdNiCu alloyed nanotripods with enhanced performances for methanol and ethanol electrooxidation

Developing efficient and stable electrocatalysts with three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical nanostructures is extremely important in practical applications of direct alcohol fuel cells. Herein, 3D hierarchical thorn-like multi-metallic PtPdNiCu alloyed nanotripods (PtPdNiCu TNTPs) were efficiently fabricated by a one-pot aqueous method, in which Pluronic F127 performed as the structure-director and dispersing agent. The as-prepared PtPdNiCu TNTPs exhibited distinct electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) with a mass activity (MA) of 1.465 A mg^-1_Pd, which is superior to commercial Pt/C (0.925 A mg^-1_Pd) in 1.0 M KOH solution, along with the greater MA (1.019 A mg^-1_Pd) for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) than Pt/C (0.712 A mg^-1_Pd). This work would provide an impetus for rationally constructing multimetal nanomaterials to commercial implementation of advanced alcohol fuel cells.

Point-of-care assay for drunken driving with Pd@Pt core-shell nanoparticles-decorated ploy(vinyl alcohol) aerogel assisted by portable pressure meter

Alcohol abuse causes health problems and security accidents. A reliable and sensitive detection system for alcohol has been an instinctive demand in law enforcement and forensic. More efforts are demanded in developing new sensing strategy preferably with portable and non-invasive traits for the pushforward of point-of-care (POC) device popularization.

Methods: We developed a POC diagnosis system for alcohol assay with the aid of alcohol oxidase (AOX) pre-joining in the system as well as Pd@Pt core-shell nanoparticles (abbreviated to Pd@Pt) that were decorated on ploy(vinyl alcohol) aerogel with amphiphilicity. Biological samples like saliva and whole blood can be absorbed by the aerogel in a quick process, in which the analyte would go through a transformation from alcohol, H₂O₂, to a final production of O₂, causing an analyte dose-dependent signal change in the commercial portable pressure meter. The cascade reactions are readily catalyzed by AOX and Pd@Pt, of which the latter one possesses excellent peroxidase-like activity.

Results: Our design has smartness embodied in the aerogel circumvents the interference from methanol which is more ready to be catalyzed by AOX. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection for alcohol was 0.50 mM in saliva, and is able to distinguish the driving under the influence (DUI) (1.74 mM in saliva) and driving while impaired (DWI) (6.95 mM in saliva) in the national standard of China.

Conclusion: Our proof-of-concept study provides the possibility for the establishment of POC device for alcohol and other target detection, not only owing to the sensing qualification but also thanks to the architecture of such sensor that has great flexibility by replacing the AOX with glucose oxidase (GOX), thenceforth realizing the accurate detection of glucose in 0.5% whole blood sample. With the advantages of easy accessibility and anti-interference ability, our sensor exhibits great potential for quantitative diagnostics in biological system.

Spin Regulation on 2D Pd-Fe-Pt Nanomeshes Promotes Fuel Electrooxidations

Spin engineering provides a powerful strategy for manipulating the interaction between electrons in the d orbital and oxygen-containing adsorbates, while a little endeavor was performed to understand whether such a strategy can make a prosperous enhancement for fuel electrooxidations. Herein, we demonstrate that spin engineering of trimetallic Pd-Fe-Pt nanomeshes (NMs) can achieve superior enhancement for fuel electrooxidations. Magnetization characterizations reveal that Pd₅₉Fe₂₇Pt₁₄ NMs own the highest number of polarized spins (μ_b = 0.85 μB/f.u.), playing an important role on facilitating the adsorption of OH_ads to promote the oxidation of CO_ads, as confirmed by theoretical results. Consequently, the optimized Pd₅₉Fe₂₇Pt₁₄ NMs exhibit excellent methanol oxidation reaction activity and stability with a mass activity of 1.61 A mg_Pt^-1, 2.6-fold and 7.3-fold larger than those of PtRu/C and Pt/C. Such catalysts also present exceptional performances in ethanol oxidation and formic acid oxidation reactions. Our work highlights a new strategy for designing efficient electrocatalysts for fuel electrooxidations and beyond.

The one-pot synthesis of CuNi nanoparticles with a Ni-rich surface for the electrocatalytic methanol oxidation reaction

The use of fuel cells is one of the most promising renewable energy strategies, but they still suffer from many limitations. The high mass enthalpy of hydrogen as a fuel comes at the cost of inconveniences and risks associated with storage, transportation and utilization, while the high performance of Pt catalysts in commercial fuel cells is limited by their high cost, low earth abundance, and poor stability as a result of CO intermediate poisoning. To circumvent these dilemmas, direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) were developed, using methanol as a fuel and Ni as the anode catalyst. Thanks to the condensed form of the fuel, DMFCs are considered as the most promising fuel-cell solution for portable electronic devices. Usually, other elements have to be introduced into Ni-based catalysts to modify the active sites to provide better alternatives to pristine Ni metal in terms of activity and stability. In this study, we provide a mild synthetic method for the preparation of CuNi alloy nanoparticles. The proper alloying ratio leads to the suitable modification of the electronic structure of Ni, which promotes the MOR catalytic reaction on the NiCu alloy. The NiCu alloy catalyst exhibits a mass current density of 1028 mA mg_metal^-1 for the MOR at 1.55 V (vs. RHE), which is among the best values obtained from similarly prepared Ni-based catalysts.

Observing the structure-dependent electrocatalytic activity of bimetallic Pd-Au nanorods at the single-particle level

We developed an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) microscopy technique to image the structure-dependent electrocatalytic reactivity of bimetallic Pd-Au nanorods (NRs) at the single-particle level.

Surface sites assembled-strategy on Pt–Ru nanowires for accelerated methanol oxidation

Isolated Ru atoms activate more Pt atoms involved in the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) pathway, which collectively accelerate methanol oxidation.

Engineering bunched RhTe nanochains for efficient methanol oxidation electrocatalysis

We report a two-step method for the synthesis of bunched RhTe nanochains for excellent electro-oxidation of methanol.

Recent advances in co-reaction accelerators for sensitive electrochemiluminescence analysis

In electrochemiluminescence sensing platforms, co-reaction accelerators are specific materials used to catalyze the dissociation of co-reactants into active radicals, which can significantly boost the ECL emission of luminophores.

Efficient synthesis of Pt–Co nanowires as cathode catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

A simple and efficient method was used to prepare highly active and durable carbon-supported ultrathin Pt–Co nanowires (NWs) as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts for the cathode in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Chromium hexacarbonyl plays a significant role in making Pt and Co form an alloyed NW, which acts as both a reducing agent and a structure directing agent. The nanocrystal exhibits a uniform nanowire morphology with a diameter of 2 nm and a length of 30 nm. In half cell tests, the Pt–Co NWs/C catalyst has a mass activity of 291.4 mA mg_Pt⁻¹, which is significantly better than commercial Pt/C catalysts with 85.5 mA mg_Pt⁻¹. And after the accelerated durability test (ADT), Pt–Co NWs/C shows an electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) loss of 19.1% while the loss in the commercial catalyst is 41.8%. Also, the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) was prepared using Pt–Co NWs/C as the cathode catalyst, resulting in a maximum power density of 952 mW cm⁻², which is higher than that of Pt/C. These results indicate that the one-dimensional structure of the catalyst prepared herein is favorable to improve the activity and durability, and the application of the catalyst in the MEA is also realized.

A simple and efficient method was used to prepare highly active and durable carbon-supported ultrathin Pt–Co nanowires (NWs) as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts for the cathode in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC).

Comparison of the structure and methanol electrooxidation ability from irregular PtNi nanocrystals to PtNiRu nanodendrites

The introduction of RuCl₃in the synthesis of PtNi nanocrystals led to the formation of PtNiRu nanosphere and nanodendrite, which displayed a higher activity and durability for the methanol electrooxidation due to the porous structure and synergetic effects.

Pore structure dependent activity and durability of mesoporous rhodium nanoparticles towards the methanol oxidation reaction

A significant porous structure effect of mesoporous rhodium nanoparticles on the electrocatalytic methanol oxidation reaction was reported.

Multinary PtPdNiP truncated octahedral mesoporous nanocages for enhanced methanol oxidation electrocatalysis

Multinary PtPdNiP TOMNs have been synthesized for the electrocatalytic methanol oxidation reaction with a superior electrocatalytic performance.

Interstitial Hydrogen Atom Modulation to Boost Hydrogen Evolution in Pd-Based Alloy Nanoparticles

Rational control of the components of noble metal alloys is paramount for achieving satisfactory electrocatalytic performances. Though transition metals are commonly used to modify noble metals, many potential elements remain to be explored. Here, we interstitially modulate hydrogen atoms into RhPd nanoparticles to boost the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The obtained stable RhPd-H nanoparticles exhibit pronounced alkaline HER activity with a small overpotential of 36.6 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 and a low Tafel slope of 35.3 mV dec^-1. The surface electronic state, bond distance, and coordination number of the Rh and Pd atoms are significantly influenced by the presence of interstitial hydrogen atoms. These modifications give RhPd-H nanoparticles a desirable hydrogen adsorption free energy, thus accelerating the hydrogen gas production. We further demonstrate that the interstitial hydrogen atom modulation strategy to improve the HER activity is universal for other Pd-based alloy nanostructures. This work presents a powerful strategy for designing efficient electrocatalysts for the HER and beyond.

Ultrafine PtCuRh nanowire catalysts with alleviated poisoning effect for efficient ethanol oxidation

As a green power source, direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) have broad application prospects. However, most catalysts of DEFCs still exhibit defects, such as the difficulty of C-C bond cleavage, serious CO poisoning and limited catalytic activity. Here, we report ultrafine PtCuRh nanowires (NWs) with outstanding anti-CO-poisoning properties and enhanced activity. The average diameter of the ultrafine PtCuRh NWs is about 1.49 nm, effectively improving the atomic utilization efficiency (UE) of platinum. Owing to the combination of an ultrafine nanostructure, good electronic interaction and the high UE of Pt atoms, the optimized ultrafine PtCuRh NWs/C display superior electrocatalytic activity and stability compared with commercial Pt/C for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). More importantly, further electrochemical results demonstrate that the incorporation of Rh is beneficial for enhancing the antipoisoning capability for some CO-like intermediates. Meanwhile, the synthetic method in this report is robust and universal, and can also be applied to the synthesis of ultrafine trimetallic PtCuPd and PtCuIr nanowires.

Synthesis of low- and high-index faceted metal (Pt, Pd, Ru, Ir, Rh) nanoparticles for improved activity and stability in electrocatalysis

Driven by the quest for future energy solution, faceted metal nanoparticles are being pursued as the next generation electrocatalysts for renewable energy applications. Thanks to recent advancement in solution phase synthesis, different low- and high-index facets on metal nanocrystals become accessible and are tested for specific electrocatalytic reactions. This minireview summarises the key approaches to prepare nanocrystals containing the most catalytically active platinum group metals (Pt, Pd, Ru, Ir and Rh) exposed with low- and high-index facets using solution phase synthesis. Electrocatalytic studies related to the different facets are highlighted to emphasise the importance of exposing facets for catalysing these reactions, namely oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR), alcohol oxidation including methanol (MOR) and ethanol oxidation reactions (EOR), formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The future outlook discusses the challenges and opportunities for making electrocatalysts that are even more active and stable.

Ultrathin PdFePb nanowires: One-pot aqueous synthesis and efficient electrocatalysis for polyhydric alcohol oxidation reaction

Synthesis of high-efficiency catalysts for alcohol oxidation reaction caused great interest in direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs). Ultrathin PdFePb nanowires (NWs) with an average diameter of 2.3 nm were synthesized by a simple and fast one-pot aqueous synthesis, using octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (NP-40) as the structure-directing agent. The as-prepared PdFePb NWs displayed an increscent electrochemically active surface area (ECSA, 121.18 m² g^-1 _Pd). For ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) and glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR), PdFePb NWs exhibited much higher activity and superior stability, outperforming those of homemade PdFe NWs, PdPb NWs, commercial Pd black and Pd/C (20 wt%). These results reveal dramatically high catalytic activity and durability of ultrathin PdFePb NWs in enhancing polyols electrooxidation.

Self-supported hydrogenolysis of aromatic ethers to arenes

Arenes are widely used chemicals and essential components in liquid fuels, which are currently produced from fossil feedstocks. Here, we proposed the self-supported hydrogenolysis (SSH) of aromatic ethers to produce arenes using the hydrogen source within the reactants, and it was found that RuW alloy nanoparticles were very efficient catalyst for the reactions. This route is very attractive and distinguished from the reported studies on the cleavage of the C_Ar─O bonds. The unique feature of this methodology is that exogenous hydrogen or other reductant is not required, and hydrogenation of aromatic rings could be avoided completely. The selectivities to arenes could reach >99.9% at complete conversion of the ethers. Moreover, lignin could also be transformed into arenes efficiently over the RuW alloy catalyst. The mechanism studies showed that the neighboring Ru and W species in the RuW alloy nanoparticles worked synergistically to accelerate the SSH reaction.

Trimetallic Synergy in Intermetallic PtSnBi Nanoplates Boosts Formic Acid Oxidation

Platinum is the most effective metal for a wide range of catalysis reactions, but it fails in the formic acid electrooxidation test and suffers from severe carbon monoxide poisoning. Developing highly active and stable catalysts that are capable of oxidizing HCOOH directly into CO₂ remains challenging for commercialization of direct liquid fuel cells. A new class of PtSnBi intermetallic nanoplates is synthesized to boost formic acid oxidation, which greatly outperforms binary PtSn and PtBi intermetallic, benefiting from the synergism of chosen three metals. In particular, the best catalyst, atomically ordered Pt₄₅ Sn₂₅ Bi₃₀ nanoplates, exhibits an ultrahigh mass activity of 4394 mA mg^-1 Pt and preserves 78% of the initial activity after 4000 potential cycles, which make it a state-of-the-art catalyst toward formic acid oxidation. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the electronic and geometric effects in PtSnBi intermetallic nanoplates help suppress CO* formation and optimize dehydrogenation steps.

Polyhedron-Assembled Ternary PtCuCo Nanochains: Integrated Functions Enhance the Electrocatalytic Performance of Methanol Oxidation at Elevated Temperature

Recently, the preparation of a high-performance one-dimensional alloy nanostructure for fuel cells has been given increasing attention due to its smart-structure merits and electronic effect triggered by alloying different kinds of metals at the nanoscale. In this study, unique ternary PtCuCo nanochains assembled with small polyhedra are first achieved and used as high-performance anode electrocatalysts toward methanol oxidation at elevated temperature (60 °C) that is closer to the operating temperature of direct methanol fuel cells than room temperature. The specific activity/mass activity of Pt₄₅Cu₃₅Co₂₀ one-dimensional nanochains can reach up to 18.24 mA cm^-2/4.19 A mg^-1_Pt that is 9.25/10.47 times that of commercial Pt black in sulfuric acid medium. After a 3600 s durability test, the remaining current density of Pt₄₅Cu₃₅Co₂₀ one-dimensional nanochains is 73.3 times that of commercial Pt black. The structure characterizations show that the high density of surface active sites, d-band center of the Pt downshift, moderate strain effect, and synergetic effect are jointly responsible for the enhanced electrocatalytic performance of one-dimensional ternary PtCuCo nanochains.

Atomic Carbon Layers Supported Pt Nanoparticles for Minimized CO Poisoning and Maximized Methanol Oxidation

Maximizing activity of Pt catalysts toward methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) together with minimized poisoning of adsorbed CO during MOR still remains a big challenge. In the present work, uniform and well-distributed Pt nanoparticles (NPs) grown on an atomic carbon layer, that is in situ formed by means of dry-etching of silicon carbide nanoparticles (SiC NPs) with CCl₄ gas, are explored as potential catalysts for MOR. Significantly, as-synthesized catalysts exhibit remarkably higher MOR catalytic activity (e.g., 647.63 mA mg^-1 at a peak potential of 0.85 V vs RHE) and much improved anti-CO poisoning ability than the commercial Pt/C catalysts, Pt/carbon nanotubes, and Pt/graphene catalysts. Moreover, the amount of expensive Pt is a few times lower than that of the commercial and reported catalyst systems. As confirmed from density functional theory (DFT) calculations and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements, such high performance is due to reduced adsorption energy of CO on the Pt NPs and an increased amount of adsorbed energy OH species that remove adsorbed CO fast and efficiently. Therefore, these catalysts can be utilized for the development of large-scale and industry-orientated direct methanol fuel cells.