Electrochemical characterization of irreversibly adsorbed germanium on platinum stepped surfaces vicinal to Pt(100)

Bulk-like Pt(100)-oriented Ultrathin Surface: Combining the Merits of Single Crystals and Nanoparticles to Boost Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Single crystal surfaces with highly coordinated sites very often hold high specific activities toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and others. Transposing their high specific activity to practical high-surface-area electrocatalysts remains challenging. Here, ultrathin Pt(100) alloy surface is constructed via epitaxial growth. The surface shows 3.1-6.9 % compressive strain and bulk-like characteristics as demonstrated by site-probe reactions and different spectroscopies. Its ORR activity exceeds that of bulk Pt₃ Ni(100) and Pt(111) and presents a 19-fold increase in specific activity and a 13-fold increase in mass activity relative to commercial Pt/C. Moreover, the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) is increased by 4-fold compared to traditional thin films (e.g. NSTF), which makes the catalyst more tolerant to voltage loss at high current densities under fuel cell operation. This work broadens the family of extended surface catalysts and highlights the knowledge-driven approach in the development of advanced electrocatalysts.

Electrocatalysis of Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Shape-Controlled Pt and Pd Nanoparticles-Importance of Surface Cleanliness and Reconstruction

Shape-controlled precious metal nanoparticles have attracted significant research interest in the recent past due to their fundamental and scientific importance. Because of their crystallographic-orientation-dependent properties, these metal nanoparticles have tremendous implications in electrocatalysis. This review aims to discuss the strategies for synthesis of shape-controlled platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd) nanoparticles and procedures for the surfactant removal, without compromising their surface structural integrity. In particular, the electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on shape-controlled nanoparticles (Pt and Pd) is discussed and the results are analyzed in the context of that reported with single crystal electrodes. Accepted theories on the stability of precious metal nanoparticle surfaces under electrochemical conditions are revisited. Dissolution, reconstruction, and comprehensive views on the factors that contribute to the loss of electrochemically active surface area (ESA) of nanoparticles leading to an inevitable decrease in ORR activity are presented. The contribution of adsorbed electrolyte anions, in-situ generated adsorbates and contaminants toward the ESA reduction are also discussed. Methods for the revival of activity of surfaces contaminated with adsorbed impurities without perturbing the surface structure and its implications to electrocatalysis are reviewed.

Pd-Shaped Nanoparticles Modified by Gold ad-Atoms: Effects on Surface Structure and Activity Toward Glucose Electrooxidation

Palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) with controlled distributions of sizes and shapes (nanospheres-Pd-NS-, nanocubes -Pd-NC-, and nanooctahedrons -Pd-NO-) are synthesized by wet chemistry methods and characterized by TEM/HRTEM. The surfaces of Pd-NPs are modified by spontaneous adsorption of gold and characterized by cyclic voltammetry in acidic medium. It is shown that the modification of Pd-NPs by dipping in HAuCl4 solutions of different concentrations allows controlling the surface coverage by gold. It is also shown that the modification of Pd-NPs surfaces involves first the formation of PdAu surface alloys. For higher coverages, both PdAu surface alloys and pure Au structures are formed. The activity toward the glucose electrooxidation reaction is determined by linear scan voltammetry (LSV). Higher activity is observed on pure Pd-NC presenting extended (100) surfaces than on Pd-NO with mainly (111) surface orientation and on Pd-NS without preferential surface orientation, both these latter Pd-NPs displaying almost the same activity. The modification of the surface by spontaneous adsorption of gold greatly improves the activity of all Pd-NPs. However, Au-modified Pd-NC materials remain the most active catalysts. PdAu surface alloys seem to be involved in the improvement of the catalytic activity at low potentials, although the role of pure gold structures on Pd-NPs toward the enhancement of the catalytic activity cannot be excluded for high gold coverage. The study allows a better understanding of the material structure/electrocatalytic behavior relationship.

Probing the Surface of Noble Metals Electrochemically by Underpotential Deposition of Transition Metals

The advances in material science have led to the development of novel and various materials as nanoparticles or thin films. Underpotential deposition (upd) of transition metals appears to be a very sensitive method for probing the surfaces of noble metals, which is a parameter that has an important effect on the activity in heterogeneous catalysis. Underpotential deposition as a surface characterization tool permits researchers to precisely determine the crystallographic orientations of nanoparticles or the real surface area of various surfaces. Among all the work dealing with upd, this review focuses specifically on the main upd systems used to probe surfaces of noble metals in electrocatalysis, from poly‒ and single-crystalline surfaces to nanoparticles. Cuupd is reported as a tool to determine the active surface area of gold‒ and platinum‒based bimetallic electrode materials. Pbupd is the most used system to assess the crystallographic orientations on nanoparticles’ surface. In the case of platinum, Bi and Ge adsorptions are singled out for probing (1 1 1) and (1 0 0) facets, respectively.

Shape-controlled metal nanoparticles for electrocatalytic applications

The application of shape-controlled metal nanoparticles is profoundly impacting the field of electrocatalysis. On the one hand, their use has remarkably enhanced the electrocatalytic activity of many different reactions of interest. On the other hand, their usage is deeply contributing to a correct understanding of the correlations between shape/surface structure and electrochemical reactivity at the nanoscale. However, from the point of view of an electrochemist, there are a number of questions that must be fully satisfied before the evaluation of the shaped metal nanoparticles as electrocatalysts including (i) surface cleaning, (ii) surface structure characterization, and (iii) correlations between particle shape and surface structure. In this chapter, we will cover all these aspects. Initially, we will collect and discuss about the different practical protocols and procedures for obtaining clean shaped metal nanoparticles. This is an indispensable requirement for the establishment of correct correlations between shape/surface structure and electrochemical reactivity. Next, we will also report how some easy-to-do electrochemical experiments including their subsequent analyses can enormously contribute to a detailed characterization of the surface structure of the shaped metal nanoparticles. At this point, we will remark that the key point determining the resulting electrocatalytic activity is the surface structure of the nanoparticles (obviously, the atomic composition is also extremely relevant) but not the particle shape. Finally, we will summarize some of the most significant advances/results on the use of these shaped metal nanoparticles in electrocatalysis covering a wide range of electrocatalytic reactions including fuel cell-related reactions (electrooxidation of formic acid, methanol and ethanol and oxygen reduction) and also CO2 electroreduction.

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Shape-controlled Pt nanocubes directly grown on carbon supports and their electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation

Synthesis of shape-controlled Pt nanocrystals is substantial and important for enhancing chemical and electrochemical reactions. However, the removal of capping agents, shape-controlling chemicals, on Pt surfaces is essential prior to conducting the catalytic reactions. Here we report a facile one-pot synthesis of Pt nanocubes directly grown on carbon supports (Pt nanocubes/C) with modulating the kinetic reaction factors for shaping the nanocrystals, but without adding any capping agents for preserving the clean Pt surfaces. Well-dispersed Pt nanocubes/C shows enhanced activity and long-term stability toward methanol oxidation reaction compared to the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

Synthesis of Cubic-Shaped Pt Particles with (100) Preferential Orientation by a Quick, One-Step and Clean Electrochemical Method

A new approach has been developed for in situ preparing cubic-shaped Pt particles with (100) preferential orientation on the surface of the conductive support by using a quick, one-step, and clean electrochemical method with periodic square-wave potential. The whole electrochemical deposition process is very quick (only 6 min is required to produce cubic Pt particles), without the use of particular capping agents. The shape and the surface structure of deposited Pt particles can be controlled by the lower and upper potential limits of the square-wave potential. For a frequency of 5 Hz and an upper potential limit of 1.0 V (vs saturated calomel electrode), as the lower potential limit decreases to the H adsorption potential region, the Pt deposits are changed from nearly spherical particles to cubic-shaped (100)-oriented Pt particles. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected-area electron diffraction reveal that the formed cubic Pt particles are single-crystalline and enclosed by (100) facets. Cubic Pt particles exhibit characteristic H adsorption/desorption peaks corresponding to the (100) preferential orientation. Ge irreversible adsorption indicates that the fraction of wide Pt(100) surface domains is 47.8%. The electrocatalytic activities of different Pt particles are investigated by ammonia electro-oxidation, which is particularly sensitive to the amount of Pt(100) sites, especially larger (100) domains. The specific activity of cubic Pt particles is 3.6 times as high as that of polycrystalline spherical Pt particles, again confirming the (100) preferential orientation of Pt cubes. The formation of cubic-shaped Pt particles is related with the preferential electrochemical deposition and dissolution processes of Pt, which are coupled with the periodic desorption and adsorption processes of O-containing species and H adatoms.

Oxygen reduction reaction and peroxide generation on shape-controlled and polycrystalline platinum nanoparticles in acidic and alkaline electrolytes

Shape-controlled Pt nanoparticles (cubic, tetrahedral, and cuboctahedral) are synthesized using stabilizers and capping agents. The nanoparticles are cleaned thoroughly and electrochemically characterized in acidic (0.5 M H2SO4 and 0.1 M HClO4) and alkaline (0.1 M NaOH) electrolytes, and their features are compared to that of polycrystalline Pt. Even with less than 100% shape-selectivity and with the truncation at the edges and corners as shown by the ex-situ TEM analysis, the voltammetric features of the shape-controlled nanoparticles correlate very well with that of the respective single-crystal surfaces, particularly the voltammograms of shape-controlled nanoparticles of relatively larger size. Shape-controlled nanoparticles of smaller size show somewhat higher contributions from the other orientations as well because of the unavoidable contribution from the truncation at the edges and corners. The Cu stripping voltammograms qualitatively correlate with the TEM analysis and the voltammograms. The fractions of low-index crystallographic orientations are estimated through the irreversible adsorption of Ge and Bi. Pt-nanocubes with dominant {100} facets are the most active toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in strongly adsorbing H2SO4 electrolytes, while Pt-tetrahedral with dominant {111} facets is the most active in 0.1 M HClO4 and 0.1 M NaOH electrolytes. The difference in ORR activity is attributed to both the structure-sensitivity of the catalyst and the inhibiting effect of the anions present in the electrolytes. Moreover, the percentage of peroxide generation is 1.5-5% in weakly adsorbing (0.1 M HClO4) electrolytes and 5-12% in strongly adsorbing (0.5 M H2SO4 and 0.1 M NaOH) electrolytes.

Shape-selected nanocrystals for in situ spectro-electrochemistry studies on structurally well defined surfaces under controlled electrolyte transport: A combined in situ ATR-FTIR/online DEMS investigation of CO electrooxidation on Pt

The suitability and potential of shape selected nanocrystals for in situ spectro-electrochemical and in particular spectro-electrocatalytic studies on structurally well defined electrodes under enforced and controlled electrolyte mass transport will be demonstrated, using Pt nanocrystals prepared by colloidal synthesis procedures and a flow cell set-up allowing simultaneous measurements of the Faradaic current, FTIR spectroscopy of adsorbed reaction intermediates and side products in an attenuated total reflection configuration (ATR-FTIRS) and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) measurements of volatile reaction products. Batches of shape-selected Pt nanocrystals with different shapes and hence different surface structures were prepared and structurally characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electrochemical methods. The potential for in situ spectro-electrocatalytic studies is illustrated for COad oxidation on Pt nanocrystal surfaces, where we could separate contributions from two processes occurring simultaneously, oxidative COad removal and re-adsorption of (bi)sulfate anions, and reveal a distinct structure sensitivity in these processes and also in the structural implications of (bi)sulfate re-adsorption on the CO adlayer.

Evidence of an Eley-Rideal mechanism in the stripping of a saturation layer of chemisorbed CO on platinum nanoparticles

The oxidative stripping of a saturation layer of CO(chem) was studied on platinum nanoparticles of high shape selectivity and narrow size distribution. Nanospheres, nanocubes, and nano-octahedrons were synthesized using the water-in-oil microemulsion or polyacrylate methods. The three shapes allowed examination of the CO(chem) stripping in relation to the geometry of the nanoparticles and presence of specific nanoscopic surface domains. Electrochemical quartz crystal nanobalance (EQCN) measurements provided evidence for the existence of more than one mechanism in the CO(chem) stripping. This was corroborated by chronoamperometry transient for a CO(chem) saturation layer at stripping potentials of E(strip) = 0.40, 0.50, 0.60, and 0.70 V. The first mechanism is operational in the case of CO(chem) stripping at lower E(strip) values; it proceeds without adsorption of anions or H(2)O molecules and corresponds to desorption of a fraction of CO(chem) in the form of a prepeak in voltammograms or in the form of an exponential decay in chrono-amperometry (CA) transients. The second mechanism is operational in the desorption of the remaining CO(chem) at higher E(strip) values and gives rise to at least two voltammetric peaks or two CA peaks. Analysis of the experimental data and modeling of the CA transients lead to the conclusion that the stripping of a saturation layer of CO(chem) first follows an Eley-Rideal mechanism in the early stage of the process and then a Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism.

The effect of Bi adsorption on CO oxidation inside 1.8 nm Pt pores

Modification of the surface of H(1)-e Pt with Bi causes significant changes in the CO stripping voltammetry; the pre-wave disappears and CO and Bi oxidation peaks appear. The absence of the pre-wave suggests that Bi preferentially adsorbs on the trough sites of the concave 1.8 nm diameter pore walls preventing oxygenated species from nucleating there.

Structure sensitivity and nanoscale effects in electrocatalysis

This review discusses the role of the detailed nanoscale structure of catalytic surfaces on the activity of various electrocatalytic reactions of importance for fuel cells, hydrogen production, and other environmentally important catalytic reactions, such as carbon monoxide oxidation, methanol and ethanol oxidation, ammonia oxidation, nitric oxide reduction, hydrogen evolution, and oxygen reduction. Specifically, results and insights obtained from surface-science single-crystal-based model experiments are linked to experiments on well-defined shape-controlled nanoparticles. A classification of structure sensitive effects in electrocatalysis is suggested, based both on empirical grounds and on quantum-chemical viz. thermochemical considerations. The mutual relation between the two classification schemes is also discussed. The review underscores the relevance of single-crystal modeling of nanoscale effects in catalysis, and points to the special role of two kinds of active sites for electrocatalysis on nanoparticulate surfaces: (i) steps and defects in (111) terraces or facets, and (ii) long-range (100) terraces or facets.

Tellurium adatoms as an in-situ surface probe of (111) two-dimensional domains at platinum surfaces

Irreversibly adsorbed tellurium has been studied as a probe to quantify ordered domains in platinum electrodes. The surface redox process of adsorbed tellurium on the Pt(111) electrode and Pt(111) stepped surfaces takes place around 0.85 V in a well-defined peak. The behavior of this redox process on the Pt(111) vicinal surfaces indicates that the tellurium atoms involved in the redox process are only those deposited on the (111) terrace sites. Moreover, the corresponding charge density is proportional to the number of sites on (111) ordered domains (terraces) that are, at least, three atoms wide. Hence, this charge density can be used to measure the number of (111) terrace sites on any given platinum sample. Structural information about tellurium adsorption is obtained from atomic-resolution STM images for the Pt(111) and Pt(10, 10, 9) electrodes. A rectangular structure (2 x radical 3) and a compact hexagonal structure (11 x 8) were identified. However, the redox peak for adsorbed tellurium on (100) domains at 1.03 V overlaps with peaks arising from steps and (110) sites. Therefore, it cannot be used without problems for the determination of (100) sites on a platinum sample. On the (100) terraces, the surface structure of the adsorbed tellurium is c(2 x 2), as revealed by STM. Finally, tellurium irreversible adsorption has been used to estimate the number of (111) ordered domains terrace sites on different polycrystalline platinum samples, and the results are compared to those obtained with bismuth irreversible adsorption.

Determination of (111) Ordered Domains on Platinum Electrodes by Irreversible Adsorption of Bismuth

Irreversible adsorbed bismuth can be used to determine the fraction of (111) domains on a given platinum sample. On Pt(111) electrodes, the surface redox process of adsorbed bismuth takes place at 0.63 V in a well-defined peak. The behavior of this redox process on the Pt(111) vicinal surfaces indicates that the bismuth atoms involved in the redox process are only those deposited on the (111) terrace sites and that the charge under the peak at 0.63 V is directly proportional to the number of sites on (111) ordered domains (terraces). The good linear relationship obtained between the charge for the bismuth redox process and the number of (111) terrace sites on the vicinal surfaces allows construction of a calibration curve. This calibration curve has been used to directly estimate the amount of (111) ordered domain terrace sites on polycrystalline platinum samples with different surface ordered domains. The results agree with what we would expect from our knowledge of these surfaces.