Hydrogen electrosorption in Pd–Pt alloys

Application of palladium nanoparticles supported organo-kaolinite for 4-chloro-2-nitroaniline catalytic reduction and electrochemical detection

Palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) supported organo-kaolinite was used as a solid catalyst for the reduction and electrochemical detection of 4-chloro-2-nitroaniline (CNA). During the catalytic reduction in presence of NaBH4, the effects...

Effect of the Alloying Metal on the Corrosion Resistance of Pd-Rich Binary Alloys with Pt, Rh, and Ru in Sulfuric Acid

The paper presents the study of the corrosion resistance of electrodeposited Pd and its binary alloys with Pt, Rh, and Ru on a polycrystalline Au substrate. The corrosion resistance was tested in 0.5 M sulfuric acid at room temperature using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The morphology/composition and work function values were determined by scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning Kelvin probe, respectively. The obtained results revealed that the Pd electrode is the most resistant to corrosion, whereas the Pd-Ru electrode is the most susceptible to dissolution. It was found that the corrosion resistance of Pd-binary alloys decrease in the following order: Pd > Pd-Pt > Pd-Rh > Pd-Ru. This effect was assigned mainly to the difference in surface roughness factor of tested electrodes.

Magneto-Ionic Switching of Superparamagnetism

Electrochemical reactions represent a promising approach to control magnetization via electric fields. Favorable reaction kinetics have made nanoporous materials particularly interesting for magnetic tuning experiments. A fully reversible ON and OFF switching of magnetism in nanoporous Pd(Co) at room temperature is demonstrated, triggered by electrochemical hydrogen sorption. Comprehensive magnetic characterization in combination with high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals the presence of Co-rich, nanometer-sized clusters in the nanoporous Pd matrix with distinct superparamagnetic behavior. The strong magneto-ionic effect arises from coupling of the magnetic clusters via a Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida-type interaction in the Pd matrix which is strengthened upon hydrogen sorption. This approach offers a new pathway for the voltage control of magnetism, for application in spintronic or microelectromagnetic devices.

Surfactant-Free Synthesis of Reduced Graphene Oxide Supported Well-Defined Polyhedral Pd-Pt Nanocrystals for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Well-defined polyhedral Pd-Pt nanocrystals anchored on the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are successfully synthesized via a facile and efficient surfactant-free solvothermal route. The formation mechanism is carefully illustrated via tuning the surface state of rGO substrate and the Pd/Pt ratio in Pd-Pt nanocrystals. rGO substrates with continuous smooth surface, which can offer continuous 2D larger π electrons, play important roles in the formation of the well-defined polyhedral Pd-Pt nanocrystals. Suitable Pd/Pt ratio, which determines the affinity between the rGO substrate and polyhedral Pd-Pt nanocrystals, is another important factor for the formation of polyhedral Pd-Pt nanocrystals. Due to the well-defined surface of Pd-Pt nanocrystals, rich corners and edges from polyhedral structure, as well as more exposed (111) facets, the low-Pt polyhedral Pd-Pt nanocrystals anchored on rGO, used as electrocatalysts, exhibit high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction with excellent methanol tolerance.

Dealloying-driven nanoporous palladium with superior electrochemical actuation performance

Metal-hydrogen (in particular, Pd-H) interactions have been receiving considerable attention over the past 150 years within the scope of hydrogen storage, catalytic hydrogenation, hydrogen embrittlement and hydrogen-induced interfacial failure. Here, for the first time, we show that the coupling of hydrogen adsorption and absorption could trigger giant reversible strain in bulk nanoporous Pd (np-Pd) in a weakly adsorbed NaF electrolyte. The bulk np-Pd with a hierarchically porous structure and a ligament/channel size of ∼10 nm was fabricated using a dealloying strategy with compositional/structural design of the precursor. The np-Pd actuator exhibits a giant reversible strain of up to 3.28% (stroke of 137.8 μm), which is a 252% enhancement in comparison to the state-of-the-art value of 1.3% in np-AuPt. The strain rate (∼10(-5) s(-1)) of np-Pd is two orders of magnitude higher than that of current metallic actuators. Moreover, the volume-/mass-specific strain energy density (10.71 MJ m(-3)/3811 J kg(-1)) of np-Pd reaches the highest level compared with that of previously reported actuator materials. The outstanding actuation performance of np-Pd could be attributed to the coupling of hydrogen adsorption/absorption and its unique hierarchically nanoporous structure. Our findings provide valuable information for the design of novel high-performance metallic actuators.

Structural evolution of palladium nanoparticles and their electrocatalytic activity toward ethanol oxidation in alkaline solution

Palladium nanoparticles with smaller particle size exhibit better electrocatalytic activity toward ethanol oxidation.

On the Nature of Voltammetric Signals Originating from Hydrogen Electrosorption into Palladium-Noble Metal Alloys

Hydrogen sorption/desorption signals observed on cyclic voltammograms in experiments on hydrogen electrosorption into Pd-noble metal alloys (Pd-Au, Pd-Pt, Pd-Rh, Pd-Ru, Pd-Pt-Rh, Pd-Pt-Au) were characterized. The influence of electrosorption potential, scan rate and alloy bulk composition on the features of the hydrogen peaks was investigated. The experimental results were compared with those obtained on the basis of a model taken from the literature. It was confirmed that the rate of the α-β phase transition controls the overall rate of the process of hydrogen absorption/desorption into/from thin Pd-based electrodes. It was demonstrated that from the analysis of the changes of the hydrogen oxidation peak potential with the hydrogen electrosorption potential in cyclic voltammetric experiments it is possible to determine the limiting Pd bulk content, below which the β-phase in the alloy-hydrogen system is not formed.

Hydrogen electrosorption into Pd-Cd nanostructures

Hydrogen-absorbing materials are crucial for both the purification and storage of hydrogen. Pd and Pd-based alloys have been studied extensively for their use as both hydrogen dissociation catalysts and hydrogen selective membrane materials. It is known that incorporating metal atoms of different sizes into the Pd lattice has a major impact on the hydrogen absorption process. In this paper, hydrogen electrosorption into nanostructured Pd-Cd alloys has been studied for different compositions of Cd that varied from 0 to 15 at. %. The low cost of Cd makes it an attractive material to combine with Pd for hydrogen sorption. A combination of chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetric experiments was used to determine the ratio of the H/(Pd + Cd) and the kinetics of hydrogen sorption into these Pd-Cd alloys at different potentials. It was found that the maximum H/(Pd + Cd) value was 0.66 for pure Pd, and this decreased with increasing the amount of Cd. Also, the alpha (solid solution) to beta phase (metal hydride) hydrogen transition was determined to be the slowest step in the absorption process and was practically eliminated when an optimum amount of Cd atoms was doped (i.e., Pd-Cd(15%)). With increasing the amount of Cd, more hydrogen was absorbed into the Pd-Cd nanostructures at the higher potentials (the alpha phase region). The faster kinetics, along with the decrease in the phase transition of hydrogen sorption into the Pd-Cd nanostructures when compared to pure Pd, makes the Pd-Cd nanostructures attractive for use as a hydrogen dissociation catalytic capping layer for other metal hydrides or as a hydrogen selective membrane.

Pt-encapsulated Pd-Co nanoalloy electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells

Pt-encapsulated Pd(x)Co(100-x) nanoalloy electrocatalysts supported on carbon have been synthesized by a rapid microwave-assisted solvothermal (MW-ST) method within 15 min at as low as 300 degrees C. Subsequently, the samples have been heat treated at 900 degrees C in a reducing gas atmosphere to obtain Pt-Pd-Co nanoalloys. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the as-synthesized and 900 degrees C heat-treated samples reveals interesting changes in phase compositions and degree of alloying with Co and Pt contents and heat treatment. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data of the as-synthesized samples confirm Pt enrichment on the surface of the Pd-Co nanoparticles. Rotating disk electrode (RDE) and single cell proton exchange membrane fuel cell measurements reveal that the as-synthesized Pt-encapsulated Pd(80)Co(20) (i.e., 75 wt % Pd(80)Co(20) + 25 wt % Pt) with 20 wt % total metal loading on carbon or 5 wt % Pt exhibit higher catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) compared to Pt with 20 wt % Pt loading on carbon. Significant changes in the catalytic activity for ORR occur on heat treatment at 900 degrees C as a result of changes in the phase composition and increase in particle size. This study demonstrates that the encapsulation of Pd-Co alloys with Pt offers a significant enhancement in activity for ORR per unit mass of Pt, offering a significant cost savings.