Peptide templated AuPt alloyed nanoparticles as highly efficient bi-functional electrocatalysts for both oxygen reduction reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction

Transition metal-based electrocatalysts for alkaline overall water splitting: advancements, challenges, and perspectives

Water electrolysis is a promising method for efficiently producing hydrogen and oxygen, crucial for renewable energy conversion and fuel cell technologies. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are two key electrocatalytic reactions occurring during water splitting, necessitating the development of active, stable, and low-cost electrocatalysts. Transition metal (TM)-based electrocatalysts, spanning noble metals and TM oxides, phosphides, nitrides, carbides, borides, chalcogenides, and dichalcogenides, have garnered significant attention due to their outstanding characteristics, including high electronic conductivity, tunable valence electron configuration, high stability, and cost-effectiveness. This timely review discusses developments in TM-based electrocatalysts for the HER and OER in alkaline media in the last 10 years, revealing that the exposure of more accessible surface-active sites, specific electronic effects, and string effects are essential for the development of efficient electrocatalysts towards electrochemical water splitting application. This comprehensive review serves as a guide for designing and constructing state-of-the-art, high-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts based on TMs, particularly for applications in water splitting.

Engineered Branching Peptide as Dual-Functional Antifouling and Recognition Probe: Toward a Dual-Photoelectrode Protein Biosensor with High Accuracy

The building of practical biosensors that have anti-interference abilities against biofouling of nonspecific proteins and biooxidation of reducing agents in actual biological matrixes remains a great challenge. Herein, a robust photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor capable of accurate detection in human serum was pioneered through the integration of a new engineered branching peptide (EBP) into a synergetic dual-photoelectrode system. The synergetic dual-photoelectrode system involved the tandem connection of a C3N4/TiO2 photoanode and a AuPt/PANI photocathode, while the EBP as a dual-functional antifouling and recognition probe featured an inverted Y-shaped configuration with one recognition backbone and two antifouling branches. Such an EBP enables a simple procedure for electrode modification and an enhanced antifouling nature compared to a regular linear peptide (LP), as theoretically supported by the results from molecular dynamics simulations. The as-developed PEC biosensor had a higher photocurrent response and a good antioxidation property inherited from the photoanode and photocathode, respectively. Targeting the model protein biomarker of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), this biosensor achieved good performances in terms of high sensitivity, specificity, and anti-interference.

The enhancement in the performance of ultra-small core-shell Au@AuPt nanoparticles toward HER and ORR by surface engineering

In this work, ultra-small core-shell (USCS) Au_38.4@Au_4.1Pt_57.5 nanoparticles (NPs) with an optimal Pt-to-Au ratio were successfully prepared by the optimal etching treatment of USCS Au@AuPt NPs by Fe(III) ions to remove some exposed Au atoms on their outermost surfaces. The as-prepared USCS Au_38.4@Au_4.1Pt_57.5 NPs with Fe(III)-etching treatment for 2 h loaded on carbon black as catalysts (USCS^2h Au_38.4@Au_4.1Pt_57.5-NP/C catalysts) exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity and durability for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acidic media. For instance, the overpotential of USCS^2h Au_38.4@Au_4.1Pt_57.5-NP/C catalysts toward the HER is 13 mV at a current density of -10 mA cm^-2 (η₁₀ = 13 mV), which is much better than that of commercial Pt/C catalysts (η₁₀ = 31 mV). Moreover, their mass activity (63.8 A mg_Pt^-1) is about 16.4 times larger than that of commercial Pt/C catalysts (3.9 A mg_Pt^-1). In addition, they also present better long-term stability. Furthermore, they also show an improved activity toward the ORR in terms of the half-wave potential (E_1/2) (0.89 V vs. RHE), which is more positive by about 38 mV than commercial Pt/C catalysts (0.852 V). In addition, they also show a higher kinetic current density (14.22 mA cm^-2 at 0.85 V) and better long-term durability. This etching-treatment strategy can be extended to further improve the catalytic performance of ultra-small Au-based bimetallic or multi-metallic NPs by surface engineering.

A platinum nanoparticle doped self-assembled peptide bolaamphiphile hydrogel as an efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Noble metal-based nanomaterials have shown great potential for catalytic application with higher selectivity and activity. Owing to their self-assembly properties with various molecular interactions, peptides play an essential role in the controlled synthesis of noble metal-based catalysts with high surface area. In this work, a phenylalanine (F) and tyrosine (Y) based peptide bolaamphiphile is prepared by solution-phase peptide synthesis. The peptide bolaamphiphile readily self-assembles into a hydrogel with a cross-linked nanofibrillar network. The platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) are in situ generated within the cross-linked nanofibrillar network of the hydrogel matrix of the peptide bolaamphiphile. Benefiting from the synergistic properties of the Pt nanoparticles doped on three-dimensional fibrous networks, Pt6@hydrogel shows efficient catalytic activity for the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution. The Pt6@hydrogel requires an overpotential of 45 mV at -10 mA cm^-2 with a Tafel slope of 52 mV dec^-1. The Pt6@hydrogel also shows electrocatalytic activity in basic and neutral pH solutions. The excellent activity and stability of Pt6@hydrogel for the HER shows great potential for energy conversion applications.

Recent Advances in Bio-Templated Metallic Nanomaterial Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Applications

Developing metallic nanocatalysts with high reaction activity, selectivity and practical durability is a promising and active subfield in electrocatalysis. In the classical "bottom-up" approach to synthesize stable nanomaterials by chemical reduction, stabilizing additives such as polymers or organic surfactants must be present to cap the nanoparticle to prevent material bulk aggregation. In recent years, biological systems have emerged as green alternatives to support the uncoated inorganic components. One key advantage of biological templates is their inherent ability to produce nanostructures with controllable composition, facet, size and morphology under ecologically friendly synthetic conditions, which are difficult to achieve with traditional inorganic synthesis. In addition, through genetic engineering or bioconjugation, bio-templates can provide numerous possibilities for surface functionalization to incorporate specific binding sites for the target metals. Therefore, in bio-templated systems, the electrocatalytic performance of the formed nanocatalyst can be tuned by precisely controlling the material surface chemistry. With controlled improvements in size, morphology, facet exposure, surface area and electron conductivity, bio-inspired nanomaterials often exhibit enhanced catalytic activity towards electrode reactions. In this Review, recent research developments are presented in bio-approaches for metallic nanomaterial synthesis and their applications in electrocatalysis for sustainable energy storage and conversion systems.

Highly Correlated Size and Composition of Pt/Au Alloy Nanoparticles via Magnetron Sputtering onto Liquid

Pt/Au alloy nanoparticles (NPs) in a wide composition range have been synthesized by room-temperature simultaneous sputter deposition from two independent magnetron sources onto liquid PEG (MW = 600). The prepared NPs were alloyed with the face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. In addition, the particle sizes, composition, and shape are strongly correlated but can be tailored by an appropriate variation of the sputtering parameters. No individual particle but large agglomerates with partial alloy structure formed at Pt content of less than 16 atom %. Highly dispersed NPs with no agglomeration were observed in PEG when the quantity of Pt is more than 26 atom %. On the other hand, a small amount of Pt could terminate the agglomeration of Au when sputtering on the grids for transmission electron microscope observation. Our experiment and computer simulation carried out by two different methods indicate that the composition-dependent particle size of Pt/Au can be explained by the atomic concentration, formation energy of the cluster, and interaction between different metal atoms and the PEG molecule.

Covalent organic framework-supported platinum nanoparticles as efficient electrocatalysts for water reduction

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is one of the most effective and sustainable ways to produce hydrogen gas as an alternative clean fuel. The rate of this electrocatalytic reaction is highly dependent on the properties (dispersity and stability) of electrocatalysts. Herein, we developed well-dispersed and highly stable platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) supported on a covalent organic framework (COF-bpyTPP), which exhibit excellent catalytic activities toward HER as well as the hydride reduction reaction. The nanoparticles have an average size of 2.95 nm and show superior catalytic performance compared to the commercially available Pt/C under the same alkaline conditions, producing 13 times more hydrogen with a far more positive onset potential (-0.13 V vs.-0.63 V) and ca. 100% faradaic efficiency. The reaction rate of the hydride reduction of 4-nitrophenol was also 10 times faster in the case of PtNPs@COF compared to the commercial Pt/C under the same loading and conditions. More importantly, the PtNPs@COF are highly stable under the aqueous reactions conditions and can be reused without showing noticeable aggregation and activity degradation.

Integration mesoporous surface and hollow cavity into PtPdRh nano-octahedra for enhanced oxygen reduction electrocatalysis

Design and synthesis of Pt-based nanocrystals with controlled structural diversity and complexity can potentially bring about multifunctional properties. In this work, we present a facile two-step strategy for the construction of the PtPdRh mesoporous octahedral nanocages (PtPdRh MONCs). This unique nanoarchitectonics rationally integrates multiple advantages (i.e. the octahedral shape, hollow cavity and mesoporous surface) into one catalyst, which facilitates the efficient utilization of noble metal atoms at both of the interior and exterior surfaces. As expected, the resultant PtPdRh MONCs could effectively catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) under acidic conditions. The demonstrated ORR activity and catalytic durability are superior to the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The present study would provide a general guidance for architectural and compositional engineering of noble metal nanocrystals with desired functionalities and properties.

Hierarchically Structured Co(OH)2/CoPt/N-CN Air Cathodes for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries

For the realization of the large-scale deployment of rechargeable Zn-air batteries, it is crucial to develop cost-effective, efficient, and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this work, an integrated electrocatalyst consisting of Co(OH)₂/CoPt/N-CN was developed to enable both ORR and OER reactions for Zn-air batteries. The hierarchical Co(OH)₂/CoPt/N-CN electrocatalyst has desirable electrochemical properties, with comparable activity and better durability than commercial Pt/C for ORR and improved activity and long-term stability than commercial IrO₂ catalyst for OER. When implemented as air-cathode for rechargeable Zn-air batteries, Co(OH)₂/CoPt/N-CN exhibited a high power-density of 171 mW cm^-2, a specific capacity of 812 mA h g^-1, and a robust cycling life. Interestingly, the hierarchical structure remained intact upon charge and discharge tests, suggesting potential long-term use in the Zn-air battery technology. The material development strategy presented here can enrich the toolbox for the design and construction of cost-effective, efficient, and robust bi-functional electrocatalysts for ORR and OER toward rechargeable Zn-air battery applications.

Direct fabrication of bimetallic AuPt nanobrick spherical nanoarchitectonics for the oxygen reduction reaction

Bimetallic AuPt nanobrick spherical nanoarchitectonics synthesized via a one-step method show excellent ORR performance.

Oxygen Reduction Reaction and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Catalyzed by Pd–Ru Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Porous Carbon Nanosheets

Developing bi-functional electrocatalysts for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for enhancing the energy transfer efficiency of metal–air batteries and fuel cells, as well as producing hydrogen with a high purity. Herein, a series of Pd–Ru alloyed nanoparticles encapsulated in porous carbon nanosheets (CNs) were synthesized and employed as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for both ORR and HER. The TEM measurements showed that Pd–Ru nanoparticles, with a size of approximately 1–5 nm, were uniformly dispersed on the carbon nanosheets. The crystal and electronic structures of the PdxRu100−x/CNs series were revealed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The as-prepared samples exhibited effective ORR activity in alkaline media and excellent HER activity in both alkaline and acid solutions. The Pd50Ru50/CNs sample displayed the best activity and stability among the series, which is comparable and superior to that of commercial 10% Pd/C. For ORR, the Pd50Ru50/CNs catalyst exhibited an onset potential of 0.903 V vs. RHE (Reversible Hydrogen Electrode) and 11.4% decrease of the current density after 30,000 s of continuous operation in stability test. For HER, the Pd50Ru50/CNs catalyst displayed an overpotential of 37.3 mV and 45.1 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 0.1 M KOH and 0.5 M H2SO4, respectively. The strategy for encapsulating bimetallic alloys within porous carbon materials is promising for fabricating sustainable energy toward electrocatalysts with multiple electrocatalytic activities for energy related applications.