Atomic Ordering Engineering of Precious Metal Alloys in Liquid Phase Synthesis

Atomic ordering of noble metal alloys is an effective strategy for improving catalytic performance, yet the low-temperature synthesis of ordered alloys still faces significant challenges. The low-temperature liquid phase method has enormous potential for the synthesis of alloys; however, the atomic ordering mechanism of this process has not been thoroughly studied. Herein, we investigate the mechanism of the influence of metal precursors, reducing agents, solvents, and mixing modes of reactant regulating strategies on precious metal alloy ordering using this method. These regulating strategies are designed to change the coordination structure of metal complexes, affect the reduction potential of metals, and thus change the reduction order of metals and their arrangement in the alloy products. Notably, the reduction potential differences between metal complexes can be used to predict the ordering of the synthetic products (Pd-Cu, Pd-Cd, Pd-Sn, Pd-Pb, and Pt-Sn). This work provides an excellent platform for investigating atomic arrangement engineering.

Morphology-Controlled Growth of Crystalline Ag-Pt-Alloyed Shells onto Au Nanotriangles and Their Plasmonic Properties

The surface plasmon resonance of noble-metal nanoparticles depends on nanoscale size, morphology, and composition, and provides great opportunities for applications in biomedicine, optoelectronics, (photo)catalysis, photovoltaics, and sensing. Here, we present the results of synthesizing ternary metallic or trimetallic nanoparticles, Au nanotriangles (Au NTs) with crystalline Ag-Pt alloyed shells, the morphology of which can be adjusted from a yolk-shell to a core-shell structure by changing the concentration of AgNO3 or the concentration of Au NT seeds, while the shell thickness can be precisely controlled by adjusting the concentration of K2PtCl4. By monitoring the growth process with UV-vis spectra and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), the shells on the Au NT-Ag-Pt yolk-shell nanoparticles were found to grow via a galvanic replacement synergistic route. The plasmonic properties of the as-synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by optical absorbance measurements.

Recent Advances on Controlled Synthesis and Engineering of Hollow Alloyed Nanotubes for Electrocatalysis

The past decade has witnessed great progress in the synthesis and electrocatalytic applications of 1D hollow alloy nanotubes with controllable compositions and fine structures. Hollow nanotubes have been explored as promising electrocatalysts in the fuel cell reactions due to their well-controlled surface structure, size, porosity, and compositions. In addition, owing to the self-supporting ability of 1D structure, hollow nanotubes are capable of avoiding catalyst aggregation and carbon corrosion during the catalytic process, which are two other issues for the widely investigated carbon-supported nanoparticle catalysts. It is currently a great challenge to achieve high activity and stability at a relatively low cost to realize commercialization of these catalysts. An overview of the structural and compositional properties of 1D hollow alloy nanotubes, which provide a large number of accessible active sites, void spaces for electrolytes/reactants impregnation, and structural stability for suppressing aggregation, is presented. The latest advances on several strategies such as hard template and self-templating methods for controllable synthesis of hollow alloyed nanotubes with controllable structures and compositions are then summarized. Benefiting from the advantages of the unique properties and facile synthesis approaches, the capability of 1D hollow nanotubes is then highlighted by discussing examples of their applications in fuel-cell-related electrocatalysis. Finally, the remaining challenges and potential solutions in the field are summarized to provide some useful clues for the future development of 1D hollow alloy nanotube materials.

Three dimensional sea-urchin-like PdAuCu nanocrystals/ferrocene-grafted-polylysine as an efficient probe to amplify the electrochemical signals for ultrasensitive immunoassay of carcinoembryonic antigen

A novel sandwich-like immunosensor was efficiently fabricated for detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) with three dimensional sea-urchin-like PdAuCu nanocrystals (PdAuCu NCs)/ferrocene-grafted-polylysine (Fc-g-PLL) as the label of secondary antibodies (Ab₂) and Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) as the substrate material. Herein, PdAuCu NCs were directly synthesized with polyethylene oxide (PEO) as a growth-directing agent by a facile one-step aqueous method without any organic solvent. Meanwhile, Fc-g-PLL was obtained by covalent linkage of Fc with PLL via Schiff-base reaction. The well-dispersed PdAuCu NCs by Fc-g-PLL have the enlarged surface area, enhanced catalytic properties and superior biocompatibility to amplify the current signals. The resultant immunosensor shows linear relationship of the electrochemical responses with the CEA concentrations within a broader linear range (0.001-100.0 ng mL^-1) and a lower detection limit (0.23 pg mL^-1, S/N = 3). Furthermore, the immunosensor was explored for practical assay of CEA in human serum samples with accredited results. The novel immunoassay provides a feasible platform for early medical diagnosis.

Au@PdAg core-shell nanotubes as advanced electrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation in alkaline media

Developing active and cost-effective electrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation is crucial to the commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). In this study, Au@PdAg core-shell nanotubes are synthesized in an aqueous solution by sequential galvanic displacement between Ag nanowires and AuCl4 - and PdCl4 2-. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies demonstrate that the obtained Au@PdAg nanotubes consist of a Au-rich interior that is encapsulated with a three-dimensionally dendritic, porous PdAg alloy shell, forming a core-sheath nanostructure. Electrochemical studies indicate that the as-prepared Au@PdAg nanotubes exhibit apparent electrocatalytic activity and stability towards methanol electrooxidation in alkaline media. This remarkable high performance can be attributed to their large specific surface area and unique porous morphology.

Metal Nanotube/Nanowire-Based Unsupported Network Electrocatalysts

Combining 1D metal nanotubes and nanowires into cross-linked 2D and 3D architectures represents an attractive design strategy for creating tailored unsupported catalysts. Such materials complement the functionality and high surface area of the nanoscale building blocks with the stability, continuous conduction pathways, efficient mass transfer, and convenient handling of a free-standing, interconnected, open-porous superstructure. This review summarizes synthetic approaches toward metal nano-networks of varying dimensionality, including the assembly of colloidal 1D nanostructures, the buildup of nanofibrous networks by electrospinning, and direct, template-assisted deposition methods. It is outlined how the nanostructure, porosity, network architecture, and composition of such materials can be tuned by the fabrication conditions and additional processing steps. Finally, it is shown how these synthetic tools can be employed for designing and optimizing self-supported metal nano-networks for application in electrocatalysis and related fields.

PdAuCu Nanobranch as Self-Repairing Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

During start-up and shut-down operations of fuel cells, high potential is inevitably experienced at cathode, which leads to the deterioration of the oxygen reduction electrocatalyst. The design of catalysts that can repair themselves under severe conditions has been identified as a primary challenge for fuel cells. Herein, self-supported PdAuCu branched nanostructure is synthesized by a hydrothermal method. By smartly utilizing the high-potential treatment, the activity of PdAuCu is significantly enhanced owing to the synergistic effect between the Pd and Cu^II generated by such treatment. Moreover, the high activity of PdAuCu can be well maintained by repeating the high-potential treatment. We hence propose this catalyst as a "self-repairing" catalyst in a broad sense.

Tuning Nanowires and Nanotubes for Efficient Fuel-Cell Electrocatalysis

Developing new synthetic methods for the controlled synthesis of Pt-based or non-Pt nanocatalysts with low or no Pt loading to facilitate sluggish cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and organics oxidation reactions is the key in the development of fuel-cell technology. Various nanoparticles (NPs), with a range of size, shape, composition, and structure, have shown good potential to catalyze the sluggish cathodic and anodic reactions. In contrast to NPs, one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials such as nanowires (NWs), and nanotubes (NTs), exhibit additional advantages associated with their anisotropy, unique structure, and surface properties. The prominent characteristics of NWs and NTs include fewer lattice boundaries, a lower number of surface defect sites, and easier electron and mass transport for better electrocatalytic activity and lower vulnerability to dissolution, Ostwald ripening, and aggregation than Pt NPs for enhanced stability. An overview of recent advances in tuning 1D nanostructured Pt-based, Pd-based, or 1D metal-free nanomaterials as advanced electrocatalysts is provided here, for boosting fuel-cell reactions with high activity and stability, including the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). After highlighting the different strategies developed so far for the synthesis of Pt-based 1D nanomaterials with controlled size, shape, and composition, special emphasis is placed on the rational design of diverse NWs and NTs catalysts such as Pt-based NWs or NTs, non-Pt NTs, and carbon NTs with molecular engineering, etc. for enhancing the ORR, MOR, and EOR. Finally, some perspectives are highlighted on the development of more efficient fuel-cell electrocatalysts featuring high stability, low cost, and enhanced performance, which are the key factors in accelerating the commercialization of fuel-cell technology.

Monodisperse Mesoporous Carbon Nanoparticles from Polymer/Silica Self-Aggregates and Their Electrocatalytic Activities

In our quest to make various chemical processes sustainable, the development of facile synthetic routes and inexpensive catalysts can play a central role. Herein we report the synthesis of monodisperse, polyaniline (PANI)-derived mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (PAMCs) that can serve as efficient metal-free electrocatalysts for the hydrogen peroxide reduction reaction (HPRR) as well as the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. The materials are synthesized by polymerization of aniline with the aid of (NH4)2S2O8 as oxidant and colloidal silica nanoparticles as templates, then carbonization of the resulting PANI/silica composite material at different high temperatures, and finally removal of the silica templates from the carbonized products. The PAMC materials that are synthesized under optimized synthetic conditions possess monodisperse mesoporous carbon nanoparticles with an average size of 128 ± 12 nm and an average pore size of ca. 12 nm. Compared with Co3O4, a commonly used electrocatalyst for HPRR, these materials show much better catalytic activity for this reaction. In addition, unlike Co3O4, the PAMCs remain relatively stable during the reaction, under both basic and acidic conditions. The nanoparticles also show good electrocatalytic activity toward ORR. Based on the experimental results, PAMCs' excellent electrocatalytic activity is attributed partly to their heteroatom dopants and/or intrinsic defect sites created by vacancies in their structures and partly to their high porosity and surface area. The reported synthetic method is equally applicable to other polymeric precursors (e.g., polypyrrole (PPY)), which also produces monodisperse, mesoporous carbon nanoparticles in the same way. The resulting materials are potentially useful not only for electrocatalysis of HPRR and ORR in fuel cells but also for other applications where high surface area, small sized, nanostructured carbon materials are generally useful for (e.g., adsorption, supercapacitors, etc.).

Surface Profile Control of FeNiPt/Pt Core/Shell Nanowires for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Monodisperse core/shell FeNiPt/FePt nanowires (4.5 × 20-50 nm) are synthesized by seed-mediated growth of FePt over the pre-made 2.5 nm wide FeNiPt nanowires. The surface profile of the FeNiPt/FePt nanowires is tailored by acid and thermal treatment. The FeNiPt/Pt-skin nanowires show higher activities than the FeNiPt/Pt-skeleton nanowires.

Converting 2D inorganic-organic ZnSe-DETA hybrid nanosheets into 3D hierarchical nanosheet-based ZnSe microspheres with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic performances

Engineering two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets into three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical structures is one of the great challenges in nanochemistry and materials science. We report a facile and simple chemical conversion route to fabricate 3D hierarchical nanosheet-based ZnSe microspheres by using 2D inorganic-organic hybrid ZnSe-DETA (DETA = diethylenetriamine) nanosheets as the starting precursors. The conversion mechanism involves the controlled depletion of the organic-component (DETA) from the hybrid precursors and the subsequent self-assembly of the remnant inorganic-component (ZnSe). The transformation reaction of ZnSe-DETA nanosheets is mainly influenced by the concentration of DETA in the reaction solution. We demonstrated that this organic-component depletion method could be extended to the synthesis of other hierarchical structures of metal sulfides. In addition, the obtained hierarchical nanosheet-based ZnSe microspheres exhibited outstanding performance in visible light photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange and were highly active for photocatalytic H2 production.

Electrocatalytic activity of alkyne-functionalized AgAu alloy nanoparticles for oxygen reduction in alkaline media

1-Dodecyne-functionalized AgAu alloy nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical reduction of metal salt precursors at varied initial feed ratios. Transmission electron microscopic measurements showed that the nanoparticles were all rather well dispersed with the average core diameter in the narrow range of 3 to 5 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies confirmed the formation of AgAu alloy nanoparticles with the gold concentration ranging from approximately 25 at% to 55 at%. Consistent results were obtained in UV-vis spectroscopic measurements where the nanoparticle surface plasmon resonance red-shifted almost linearly with increasing gold concentrations. The self-assembly of 1-dodecyne ligands on the nanoparticle surface was manifested in infrared spectroscopic measurements. Importantly, the resulting nanoparticles exhibited apparent electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction in alkaline media, and the performance was found to show a volcano variation in the Au content in the alloy nanoparticles, with the best performance observed for the samples with ca. 35.5 at% Au. The enhanced catalytic activity, as compared to pure Ag nanoparticles or even commercial Pt/C catalysts, was accounted for by the unique metal-ligand interfacial bonding interactions as well as alloying effects that increased metal-oxygen affinity.

Engineering noble metal nanomaterials for environmental applications

Besides being valuable assets in our daily lives, noble metals (namely, gold, silver, and platinum) also feature many intriguing physical and chemical properties when their sizes are reduced to the nano- or even subnano-scale; such assets may significantly increase the values of the noble metals as functional materials for tackling important societal issues related to human health and the environment. Among which, designing/engineering of noble metal nanomaterials (NMNs) to address challenging issues in the environment has attracted recent interest in the community. In general, the use of NMNs for environmental applications is highly dependent on the physical and chemical properties of NMNs. Such properties can be readily controlled by tailoring the attributes of NMNs, including their size, shape, composition, and surface. In this feature article, we discuss recent progress in the rational design and engineering of NMNs with particular focus on their applications in the field of environmental sensing and catalysis. The development of functional NMNs for environmental applications is highly interdisciplinary, which requires concerted efforts from the communities of materials science, chemistry, engineering, and environmental science.

Effect of component distribution and nanoporosity in CuPt nanotubes on electrocatalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction

Pt-based bimetallic electrocatalysts hold great potential in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in current fuel-cell prototypes. However, they also face challenges from drastic dealloying of less-noble metals and coalescence of small nanoparticles. Porous and structure-ordered nanotubes may hold the potential to improve the stability of bimetallic electrocatalysts. Herein, we report a method to prepare CuPt nanotubes and porous Cu3 Pt intermetallic nanorods through a controlled galvanic replacement reaction and heat treatment process. The effect of the geometric features and compositional segregation on the electrocatalysis of the ORR was clarified. The outstanding performance of the Cu3 Pt/C-700 catalyst in the ORR relative to that of CuPt/C-RT was mainly attributed to the nanoporosity of the catalyst, whereas the enhanced specific activity on CuPt/C-RT after potential cycling was attributed to the interaction between the CuPt alloyed core and the Pt shell in the tube wall.

Cu2O template synthesis of high-performance PtCu alloy yolk–shell cube catalysts for direct methanol fuel cells

Novel PtCu alloy yolk–shell cubes were fabricated via the disproportionation and displacement reactions in Cu₂O yolk–shell cubes, and they exhibit significantly improved catalytic activity and durability for methanol electrooxidation.

Engineering interface and surface of noble metal nanoparticle nanotubes toward enhanced catalytic activity for fuel cell applications

In order for fuel cells to have commercial viability as alternative fuel sources, researchers need to develop highly active and robust fuel cell electrocatalysts. In recent years, the focus has been on the design and synthesis of novel catalytic materials with controlled interface and surface structures. Another goal is to uncover potential catalytic activity and selectivity, as well as understand their fundamental catalytic mechanisms. Scientists have achieved great progress in the experimental and theoretical investigation due to the urgent demand for broad commercialization of fuel cells in automotive applications. However, there are still three main problems: cost, performance, and stability. To meet these targets, the catalyst needs to have multisynergic functions. In addition, the composition and structure changes of the catalysts during the reactions still need to be explored. Activity in catalytic nanomaterials is generally controlled by the size, shape, composition, and interface and surface engineering. As such, one-dimensional nanostructures such as nanowires and nanotubes are of special interest. However, these structures tend to lose the nanoparticle morphology and inhibit the use of catalysts in both fuel cell anodes and cathodes. In 2003, Rubinstein and co-workers proposed the idea of nanoparticle nanotubes (NNs), which combine the geometry of nanotubes and the morphology of nanoparticles. This concept gives both the high surface-to-volume ratio and the size effect, which are both appealing in electrocatalyst design. In this Account, we describe our developments in the construction of highly active NNs with unique surface and heterogeneous interface structures. We try to clarify enhanced activity and stability in catalytic systems by taking into account the activity impact factors. We briefly introduce material structural effects on the electrocatalytic reactivity including metal oxide/metal and metal/metal interfaces, dealloyed pure Pt, and mixed Pt/Pd surfaces. In addition, we discuss the geometric structure and surface composition changes and evolutions on the activity, selectivity, and stability under fuel cell operation conditions. We expect that these nanostructured materials with particular nanostructured characteristics, physical and chemical properties, and remarkable structure changes will offer new opportunities for wide scientific communities.

Electrochemical synthesis of nanostructured materials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage

Electrochemical synthesis represents a highly efficient method for the fabrication of nanostructured energy materials, and various nanostructures, such as nanorods, nanowires, nanotubes, nanosheets, dendritic nanostructures, and composite nanostructures, can be easily fabricated with advantages of low cost, low synthetic temperature, high purity, simplicity, and environmental friendliness. The electrochemical synthesis, characterization, and application of electrochemical energy nanomaterials have advanced greatly in the past few decades, allowing an increasing understanding of nanostructure-property-performance relationships. Herein, we highlight some recent progress in the electrochemical synthesis of electrochemical energy materials with the assistance of additives and templates in solution or grafted onto metal or conductive polymer supports, with special attention to the effects on surface morphologies, structures and, more importantly, electrochemical performance. The methodology for preparing novel electrochemical energy nanomaterials and their potential applications has been summarized. Finally, we outline our personal perspectives on the electrochemical synthesis and applications of electrochemical energy nanomaterials.

Gas-assisted growth of boron-doped nickel nanotube arrays: rapid synthesis, growth mechanisms, tunable magnetic properties, and super-efficient reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Highly ordered noncrystalline boron-doped nickel nanotube arrays are rapidly synthesized within 150 s by template-based electroless deposition. The as-prepared nanotubes have tunable magnetic properties and exhibit super efficient catalytic activity (∼70 s) for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.

Understanding and controlling nanoporosity formation for improving the stability of bimetallic fuel cell catalysts

Nanoporosity is a frequently reported phenomenon in bimetallic particle ensembles used as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. It is generally considered a favorable characteristic, because it increases the catalytically active surface area. However, the effect of nanoporosity on the intrinsic activity and stability of a nanoparticle electrocatalyst has remained unclear. Here, we present a facile atmosphere-controlled acid leaching technique to control the formation of nanoporosity in Pt-Ni bimetallic nanoparticles. By statistical analysis of particle size, composition, nanoporosity, and atomic-scale core-shell fine structures before and after electrochemical stability test, we uncover that nanoporosity formation in particles larger than ca. 10 nm is intrinsically tied to a drastic dissolution of Ni and, as a result of this, a rapid drop in intrinsic catalytic activity during ORR testing, translating into severe catalyst performance degradation. In contrast, O2-free acid leaching enabled the suppression of nanoporosity resulting in more solid core-shell particle architectures with thin Pt-enriched shells; surprisingly, such particles maintained high intrinsic activity and improved catalytic durability under otherwise identical ORR tests. On the basis of these findings, we suggest that catalytic stability could further improve by controlling the particle size below ca. 10 nm to avoid nanoporosity. Our findings provide an explanation for the degradation of bimetallic particle ensembles and show an easy to implement pathway toward more durable fuel cell cathode catalysts.

Hierarchical Pd-Sn alloy nanosheet dendrites: an economical and highly active catalyst for ethanol electrooxidation

Hierarchical alloy nanosheet dendrites (ANSDs) are highly favorable for superior catalytic performance and efficient utilization of catalyst because of the special characteristics of alloys, nanosheets, and dendritic nanostructures. In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time a facile and efficient electrodeposition approach for the controllable synthesis of Pd-Sn ANSDs with high surface area. These synthesized Pd-Sn ANSDs exhibit high electrocatalytic activity and superior long-term cycle stability toward ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. The enhanced electrocataytic activity of Pd-Sn ANSDs may be attributed to Pd-Sn alloys, nanosheet dendrite induced promotional effect, large number of active sites on dendrite surface, large surface area, and good electrical contact with the base electrode. Because of the simple implement and high flexibility, the proposed approach can be considered as a general and powerful strategy to synthesize the alloy electrocatalysts with high surface areas and open dendritic nanostructures.

Multimetallic alloy nanotubes with nanoporous framework

One-dimensional nanotubes (NTs) that consist of multiple metallic components are promising platforms for potential applications, whereas only a few synthetic methods of multimetallic NTs have been reported to date. In the present work, we developed a general synthesis route for the production of uniform multicomponent one-dimensional tubular nanostructures with various combinations of Pt, Pd, and Ag by using ZnO nanowires (NWs) as sacrificial templates. The ZnO NWs serve not only as physical templates but also as nucleation sites for the reduction of metal precursors, and thereby several metal precursors could be reduced simultaneously to produce multimetallic NTs. By using this approach, Pt-Pd, Pt-Ag, and Pd-Ag binary alloy NTs, and even Pt-Pd-Ag ternary alloy NTs could be successfully prepared. The prepared Pt-Pd binary alloy NTs exhibited improved electrocatalytic activity and stability toward ethanol oxidation due to their characteristic tubular morphology with well-interconnected nanoporous framework and synergism between two constituent metals. Furthermore, our approach can facilitate the fabrication of patterned multimetallic NT arrays on solid and flexible substrates with strong mechanical robustness. The present templating method does not require any extra steps to remove templates or additional surfactants which are often required to control the shape of nanostructures. This strategy offers a convenient, versatile, low-cost, and highly valuable approach to the fabrication of multimetallic nanostructures with various components and compositions.

Remarkable enhancement of electrocatalytic activity by tuning the interface of Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticle tubes

The interface, which formed in a bimetallic system, is a critical issue to investigate the fundamental mechanism of enhanced catalytic activity. Here, we designed unsupported Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticle tubes with a tunable interface, which was qualitatively controlled by the proportion of Pd and Au nanoparticles (NPs), to demonstrate the remarkably enhanced effect of Pd and Au NPs in electro-oxidation of ethanol. The results demonstrated that the electrocatalytic activity is highly relative to the interface and has no direct relation with individual metal component in the Pd-Au system. This effect helps us in achieving a fundamental understanding of the relationship between their activity and the interface structure and chemical properties and, consequently, is helpful in designing new catalysts with high performances.