Electrochemical and structural characterization of carbon-supported Pt–Pd bimetallic electrocatalysts prepared by electroless deposition

Hierarchical Porous Carbon-PtPd Catalysts and Their Activity toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction

PtPd bimetallic catalysts supported on hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) with different porous sizes were developed for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) toward fuel cell applications. The HPC pore size was controlled by using SiO₂ nanoparticles as a template with different sizes, 287, 371, and 425 nm, to obtain three HPC materials denoted as HPC-1, HPC-2, and HPC-3, respectively. PtPd/HPC catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical performance was examined by cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry. PtPd/HPC-2 turned out to be the most optimal catalyst with an electroactive surface area (ESA) of 40.2 m² g^-1 and a current density for ORR of -1285 A g^-1 at 2 mV s^-1 and 1600 rpm. In addition, we conducted a density functional theory computational study to examine the interactions between a PtPd cluster and a graphitic domain of HPC, as well as the interaction between the catalyst and the oxygen molecule. These results reveal the strong influence of the porous size (in HPC) and ESA values (in PtPd nanoparticles) in the mass transport process which rules the electrochemical performance.

Electrochemical reduction of nitrate in a catalytic carbon membrane nano-reactor

Nitrate pollution is a critical environmental issue in need of urgent addressing. Electrochemical reduction is an attractive strategy for treating nitrate due to the environmental friendliness. However, it is still a challenge to achieve the simultaneous high activity and selectivity. Here we report the design of a porous tubular carbon membrane as the electrode deposited with catalysts, which provides a large triple-phase boundary area for nitrate removal reactions. The achieved nitrate removal rate is one order of magnitude higher than other literatures with high nitrate conversion and high selectivity of nitrogen. The carbon membrane itself had a limited catalytic property thus Cu-Pd bimetal catalysts were deposited inside the nano-pores to enhance the activity and selectivity. When Na₂SO₄ electrolyte was applied, the achieved single-pass removal of nitrate was increased from 55.15% (for blank membrane) to 97.12% by adding catalysts inside the membrane. In case of NaOH as the electrolyte, the single-pass nitrate removal efficiency, selectivity to nitrogen formation and nitrate removal rate was 90.66%, 96.40% and 1.47 × 10^-3 mmol min^-1 cm^-2, respectively. Density functional theory studies demonstrate that the loading of bimetal catalysts compared with single metal catalysts enhances the adsorption of *NO₃ on membrane surface favorable for N₂ formation than NH₃ on Cu-Pd surface. The application of catalytic carbon membrane nano-reactors can open new windows for nitrate removal due to the high reactor efficiency.

Selectively coupled small Pd nanoparticles on sp2-hybridized domain of graphene-based aerogel with enhanced catalytic activity and stability

The precisely coupling of metal nanoparticles with support domain are crucial to enhance the catalytic activity and stability of supported metal nanoparticle catalysts (MNPs). Here we selectively anchor Pd nanoparticles to the sp² domain in graphene-based aerogel constructed with base-washed graphene oxide (BGO) by removing oxidative debris (OD). The effects of OD on the size and chemical composition of Pd nanoparticles in aerogels are initially unveiled. The removal of OD nanoparticles prompt selective coupling of Pd nanoparticles to the exposed sp²-hybridized domain on BGO nanosheets, and then prevent it from agglomeration. As a result, the Pd nanoparticle size of self-assembled Pd/BGA is 4.67 times smaller than that of traditional Pd/graphene oxide aerogel (Pd/GA). The optimal catalytic activity of Pd/BGA for the model catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol is 15 times higher than that of Pd/GA. Pd/BGA could maintain its superior catalytic activity and achieves 98.72% conversion in the fifth cycle. The superior catalytic performance could be ascribed to the small Pd nanoparticles and high percentage of Pd(0) in Pd/BGA, and the enhanced electronic conductivity of Pd/BGA. These integrated merits of Pd/BGA as heterogeneous catalysts are attributed to selectively anchor Pd nanoparticles on sp²-hybridized domain of graphene-based aerogel, and strongly coupled interaction of MNPs with support. The structure-regulated BGO nanosheets could serve as versatile building blocks for fabricating MNPs/graphene aerogels with superior performance for catalytic transformation of water pollutants.

Synthesis of Highly Active Pd@Cu-Pt/C Methanol Oxidation Electrocatalysts via Continuous, Co-Electroless Deposition

Controlled deposition of metals is essential for the creation of bimetallic catalysts having predictable composition and character. Continuous co-electroless deposition (co-ED) permits the creation of bimetallic catalysts with predictive control over composition. This method was applied to create a suite of Cu–Pt mixed-metal shell catalysts for use in methanol electrooxidation in direct methanol fuel cell applications (DMFCs). Enhanced performance of Cu–Pt compositions over Pt alone was predicted by existing computational studies in the literature. Experimental evidence from this study supports the bifunctional catalyst explanation for enhanced activity and confirms the optimum Cu:Pt ratio as Cu₃Pt for this methanol electrooxidation. This ability to control the composition of a bimetallic shell can be extended to other systems where the ratio of two metals is critical for catalytic performance.

Highly Active and Stable Pt-Pd Alloy Catalysts Synthesized by Room-Temperature Electron Reduction for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Carbon-supported platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd) alloy catalyst has become a promising alternative electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In this work, the synthesis of highly active and stable carbon-supported Pt-Pd alloy catalysts is reported with a room-temperature electron reduction method. The alloy nanoparticles thus prepared show a particle size around 2.6 nm and a core-shell structure with Pt as the shell. With this structure, the breaking of O-O bands and desorption of OH are both promoted in electrocatalysis of ORR. In comparison with the commercial Pt/C catalyst prepared by conventional method, the mass activity of the Pt-Pd/C catalyst for ORR is shown to increase by a factor of ≈4. After 10 000-cycle durability test, the Pt-Pd/C catalyst is shown to retain 96.5% of the mass activity, which is much more stable than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

Directed synthesis of well dispersed and highly active AuCu and AuNi nanoparticle catalysts

Supported bimetallic AuCu and AuNi catalysts were prepared via a controlled synthesis by controlling the dispersion of both the first metal and second metal.

Platinum-ruthenium bimetallic clusters on graphite: a comparison of vapor deposition and electroless deposition methods

Bimetallic Pt-Ru clusters have been grown on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces by vapor deposition and by electroless deposition. These studies help to bridge the material gap between well-characterized vapor deposited clusters and electrolessly deposited clusters, which are better suited for industrial catalyst preparation. In the vapor deposition experiments, bimetallic clusters were formed by the sequential deposition of Pt on Ru or Ru on Pt. Seed clusters of the first metal were grown on HOPG surfaces that were sputtered with Ar(+) to introduce defects, which act as nucleation sites for Pt or Ru. On the unmodified HOPG surface, both Pt and Ru clusters preferentially nucleated at the step edges, whereas on the sputtered surface, clusters with relatively uniform sizes and spatial distributions were formed. Low energy ion scattering experiments showed that the surface compositions of the bimetallic clusters are Pt-rich, regardless of the order of deposition, indicating that the interdiffusion of metals within the clusters is facile at room temperature. Bimetallic clusters on sputtered HOPG were prepared by the electroless deposition of Pt on Ru seed clusters from a Pt(+2) solution using dimethylamine borane as the reducing agent at pH 11 and 40 °C. After exposure to the electroless deposition bath, Pt was selectively deposited on Ru, as demonstrated by the detection of Pt on the surface by XPS, and the increase in the average cluster height without an increase in the number of clusters, indicating that Pt atoms are incorporated into the Ru seed clusters. Electroless deposition of Ru on Pt seed clusters was also achieved, but it should be noted that this deposition method is extremely sensitive to the presence of other metal ions in solution that have a higher reduction potential than the metal ion targeted for deposition.

Ligand-controlled Co-reduction versus electroless Co-deposition: synthesis of nanodendrites with spatially defined bimetallic distributions

The predictable synthesis of bimetallic nanostructures via co-reduction of two metal precursors is challenging due to our limited understanding of precursor ligand effects. Here, the influence of different metal-ligand environments is systematically examined in the synthesis of Pd-Pt nanostructures as a model bimetallic system. Nanodendrites with different spatially defined Pd-Pt compositions are achieved, where the local ligand environments of metal precursors dictate if temporally separated co-reduction dominates to achieve core-shell nanostructures or whether electroless co-deposition proceeds to facilitate alloyed nanostructure formation. As the properties of bimetallic nanomaterials depend on crystal ordering and composition, chemical routes to structurally defined bimetallic nanomaterials are critically needed. The approaches reported here should be applicable to other bimetallic compositions given the established reactivity of coordination complexes available for use as precursors.

Facile synthesis of PdPt@Pt nanorings supported on reduced graphene oxide with enhanced electrocatalytic properties

In this work, a facile one-pot wet-chemical method was developed for the self-assembly of PdPt@Pt nanorings via in situ reduction of [PdCl4](2-) and [PtCl6](2-) at room temperature, which are simultaneously dispersed on reduced graphene oxide (rGO; denoted as PdPt@Pt/rGO). Hexadecylpyridinium chloride was demonstrated as a shape-directing agent and formic acid as a reducing agent during the reaction process. The as-prepared PdPt@Pt/rGO exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity and better stability for oxygen reduction reaction and ethanol oxidation reaction in acid media, compared with PtPd/rGO, Pt/rGO, Pd/rGO, Pt black, and Pt/C catalysts.

Catalytic hydrogenation of nitrophenols and nitrotoluenes over a palladium/graphene nanocomposite

A plausible mechanism for the reduction of p-nitrophenol catalyzed by a Pd/G catalyst in the presence of sodium borohydride.