Size-dependent enhancement of electrocatalytic performance in relatively defect-free, processed ultrathin platinum nanowires

Protector-free, non-plasmonic silver quantum clusters by femtosecond pulse laser irradiation: in situ binding on nanocellulose filaments for improved catalytic activity and cycling performance

This study introduces a new, facile method to synthesize silver clusters from aqueous silver ion solution by using high intensity femtosecond pulse laser irradiation. The particles obtained in the absence of reducing or capping agents are 1-17 nm in size and presented quantum properties, as characterized by fluorescence, but did not exhibit plasmon signals, which is not a common characteristic of conventional silver nanoparticles. In a further development, small silver quantum clusters (∼1 nm) were bound in situ to wet-spun filaments of cellulose nanofibrils by pulsed laser irradiation. The obtained hybrid filaments as well as free silver quantum clusters revealed a catalytic activity remarkably higher than that of free gold quantum clusters; moreover, the hybrid filaments were found to show improved stability and cycling performance for silver-based catalysis. The present results indicate the potential of femtosecond laser irradiation to generate clusters as well as hybrid systems with excellent performance and reactivity.

Ultrathin RhCo alloy nanowires with defect-rich active sites for alkaline hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis

One-dimensional RhCo alloy nanowires (NWs) with an ultrathin thickness (2.6 nm) and abundant defect sites were prepared in an aqueous solution by a nanoconfined attachment growth route within assembled columnar micelles. Thanks to dual synergies between advantageous anisotropic ultrathin structures and alloy compositions, they endowed one-dimensional RhCo NWs with superior activity and high stability for alkaline hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis.

Enhanced Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Small Organic Molecules on Platinum-Gold Nanowires: Influence of the Surface Structure and Pt-Pt/Pt-Au Pair Site Density

The electrochemical oxidation of small organic molecules (SOMs) such as methanol and glucose is a critical process and has relevant applications in fuel cells and sensors. A key challenge in SOM oxidation is the poisoning of the surface by carbon monoxide (CO) and other partially oxidized intermediates, which is attributed to the presence of Pt-Pt pair sites. A promising pathway for overcoming this challenge is to develop catalysts that selectively oxidize SOMs via "direct" pathways that do not form CO as a primary intermediate. In this report, we utilize an ambient, template-based approach to prepare PtAu alloy nanowires with tunable compositions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements reveal that the surface composition matches that of the bulk composition after synthesis. Monte Carlo method simulations of the surface structure of PtAu alloys with varying coverage of oxygen adsorbates and varying degrees of oxygen adsorption strength reveal that oxygen adsorption under electrochemical conditions enriches the surface with Pt and a large fraction of Pt-Pt sites remain on the surface even with the Au content of up to 50%. Electrochemical properties and the catalytic performance measurements of the PtAu nanowires for the oxidation of methanol and glucose reveal that the mechanistic pathways that produce CO are suppressed by the addition of relatively small quantities of Au (∼10%), and CO formation can be completely suppressed by 50% Au. The suppression of CO formation with small quantities of Au suggests that the presence of Pt-Au pair sites may be more important in determining the mechanism of SOM oxidation rather than Pt-Pt pair site density.

Nanoscaled and Atomic Ruthenium Electrocatalysts Confined Inside Super-Hydrophilic Carbon Nanofibers for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

A series of Ru-based catalysts have been developed for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by the facile impregnation of copious and eco-friendly bacterial cellulose (BC) with Ru(bpy)₃ Cl₂ (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) followed by pyrolysis. After the oxidation and molecular recomposition processes that occur within the BC precursors during pyrolysis, sub-2 nm Ru nanoparticles (NPs) and atomic Ru species confined within surface-oxidized N-doped carbon nanofibers (CNFs) can be observed in the derived catalysts. The surface oxidation of CNFs leads the derived catalysts with super hydrophilicity and water-absorbing capacity, and also provides dimensional confinement for the nanoscaled and atomic Ru species. With these added structural advantages and the component synergy, the derived catalysts show superior HER activities, for which the overpotentials are as low as 19.6 mV (1 m KOH) and 55.0 mV (0.5 m H₂ SO₄ ) for the most active case at the current density of 10 mA cm^-2 . Moreover, superior HER activity can be also achieved for the catalysts derived with a wide range of Ru loadings. Finally, the influence of Ru NP size on HER activity is investigated by density functional theory simulations. This method provides a reliable protocol for preparing highly active HER catalysts for scale-up applications.

Reconciling structure prediction of alloyed, ultrathin nanowires with spectroscopy

A number of complementary, synergistic advances are reported herein. First, we describe the 'first-time' synthesis of ultrathin Ru2Co1 nanowires (NWs) possessing average diameters of 2.3 ± 0.5 nm using a modified surfactant-mediated protocol. Second, we utilize a combination of quantitative EDS, EDS mapping (along with accompanying line-scan profiles), and EXAFS spectroscopy results to probe the local atomic structure of not only novel Ru2Co1 NWs but also 'control' samples of analogous ultrathin Ru1Pt1, Au1Ag1, Pd1Pt1, and Pd1Pt9 NWs. We demonstrate that ultrathin NWs possess an atomic-level geometry that is fundamentally dependent upon their intrinsic chemical composition. In the case of the PdPt NW series, EDS mapping data are consistent with the formation of a homogeneous alloy, a finding further corroborated by EXAFS analysis. By contrast, EXAFS analysis results for both Ru1Pt1 and Ru2Co1 imply the generation of homophilic structures in which there is a strong tendency for the clustering of 'like' atoms; associated EDS results for Ru1Pt1 convey the same conclusion, namely the production of a heterogeneous structure. Conversely, EDS mapping data for Ru2Co1 suggests a uniform distribution of both elements. In the singular case of Au1Ag1, EDS mapping results are suggestive of a homogeneous alloy, whereas EXAFS analysis pointed to Ag segregation at the surface and an Au-rich core, within the context of a core-shell structure. These cumulative outcomes indicate that only a combined consideration of both EDS and EXAFS results can provide for an accurate representation of the local atomic structure of ultrathin NW motifs.

Ultrathin and Wavy PdB Alloy Nanowires with Controlled Surface Defects for Enhanced Ethanol Oxidation Electrocatalysis

Engineering crystalline structures/defects and elemental compositions is synthetically critical to optimize surface features of noble metal nanocrystals and thus improve their catalytic performances in various reactions. In this manuscript, we report a facile one-step aqueous synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) noble metal-metalloid alloy nanowires (NWs) with an ultrathin and wavy morphology, controlled crystalline defects, and binary PdB compositions as a highly efficient catalyst toward the electrochemical ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). We show that the utilization of hexadecylpyridinium chloride as functional surfactant is of great importance to confine in-the-columnar epitaxial nucleation of anisotropic ultrathin PdB NWs, while the attachment growth precisely controls their surface crystalline defects with a wavy morphology. Meanwhile, this strategy is synthetically universal and can be readily extended to engineer an ultrathin wavy morphology and crystalline defect of ternary PdMB (M = Cu and Pt) alloy NWs. Owing to multiple structural and compositional merits, resultant PdB alloy NWs synergistically expose more electrocatalytically active sites and also kinetically accelerate the removal of CO-related poisons, remarkably improving electrocatalytic EOR activity and stability compared to their counterpart catalysts. Besides, wavy PdB alloy NWs are also electrochemically more active for electrocatalytic oxidation of other alcohols (methanol, glycerol, and glucose). The findings reported here thus shed a bright light on rational design of the high-performance metal alloy catalysts for their potential applications in fine chemical synthesis, fuel cells, and beyond.

Strained Ultralong Silver Nanowires for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Medium

Many noble metals are efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), including silver (Ag). Among all these noble metals, Ag is the most affordable because of its relative abundance. Surface energy has been proven to play a crucial role in the catalytic process, and straining is an effective operation to raise the surface energy over electrocatalysts. In this work, sonication was utilized to induce strain in Ag nanowires (NWs) through lattice deformation. A 0.18 J/m² improvement of the surface energy around the stacking faults area has been calculated via density functional theory. The diffusion-limiting current density was evaluated and increases by >20% (from -4.98 to -6.00 mA/cm²) after sonication straining. Meanwhile, the onset potential remains almost constant (i.e., 0.95 V vs RHE). The results show that induction of strain has a strong impact on the diffusion-limiting current density and significantly improves the ORR catalytic performance of Ag NWs.

Synergetic Structural Transformation of Pt Electrocatalyst into Advanced 3D Architectures for Hydrogen Fuel Cells

A new direction for developing electrocatalysts for hydrogen fuel cell systems has emerged, based on the fabrication of 3D architectures. These new architectures include extended Pt surface building blocks, the strategic use of void spaces, and deliberate network connectivity along with tortuosity, as design components. Various strategies for synthesis now enable the functional and structural engineering of these electrocatalysts with appropriate electronic, ionic, and electrochemical features. The new architectures provide efficient mass transport and large electrochemically active areas. To date, although there are few examples of fully functioning hydrogen fuel cell devices, these 3D electrocatalysts have the potential to achieve optimal cell performance and durability, exceeding conventional Pt powder (i.e., Pt/C) electrocatalysts. This progress report highlights the various 3D architectures proposed for Pt electrocatalysts, advances made in the fabrication of these structures, and the remaining technical challenges. Attempts to develop design rules for 3D architectures and modeling, provide insights into their achievable and potential performance. Perspectives on future developments of new multiscale designs are also discussed along with future study directions.

Direct Synthesis of Ultrathin Pt Nanowire Arrays as Catalysts for Methanol Oxidation

High-performance electrocatalysts are of critical importance for fuel cells. Morphological modulation of the catalyst materials is a rare but feasible strategy to improve their performance. In this work, Pt nanowire arrays are directly synthesized with a template-less wet chemical method. The effects of surface functionalization and the reduction kinetics are revealed to be vital to the nanowire growth. The growth mechanism of the Pt nanowires is studied. By adjusting the concentration of the organic ligands, Pt nanowire arrays with tunable surface roughness can be obtained on various substrate surfaces. Such arrays avoid the contact resistance of randomly packed particles and allow open diffusion channels for reactants and products alike, making them excellent electrocatalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction. In particular, Pt nanowire arrays with rough surface have a mass activity of 1.24 A mg_Pt ^-1 at 1.12 V (vs Ag/AgCl), 3.18-fold higher than that of the commercial Pt/C catalysts. It also shows more resistant against poisoning, as indicated by the higher I_f /I_b ratio (2.06), in comparison to the Pt/C catalysts (1.30).

Polyelectrolyte-Induced Stereoassembly of Grain Boundary-Enriched Platinum Nanoworms on Ti3C2Tx MXene Nanosheets for Efficient Methanol Oxidation

Direct methanol fuel cells with high energy conversion efficiency and low hazard emissions have aroused great attention from both academic and industrial communities, but their large-scale commercial application has been blocked by high costs as well as short lifespan of the anode Pt catalysts. Here, we demonstrate a simple and scalable noncovalent strategy for the synthesis of quasi-one-dimensional (1D) Pt nanoworms grown on poly(diallyldimethyl-ammonium chloride) (PDDA)-functionalized Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets as anode catalysts for methanol electrooxidation. Interestingly, the introduction of PDDA on Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets can not only effectively adjust their surface charge property to strengthen the electrostatic interaction between metal and support but also induce the stereoassembly of worm-shaped Pt nanocrystals with abundant catalytically active grain boundaries, which enable the resulting hybrid to express high electrocatalytic activity, remarkable durability, and strong antipoisoning ability for methanol electrooxidation, which are better than those of the traditional Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts loaded on carbon black, carbon nanotubes, reduced graphene oxide, and MXene matrixes. Theoretical simulations disclose that the more stable worm-shaped Pt configuration with an optimized electronic structure on the Ti₃C₂T_x surface possesses a weaker CO adsorption ability than that of the Pt nanoclusters, thereby providing a dramatically enhanced and sustainable electrocatalytic performance.

Recent Achievements in Noble Metal Catalysts with Unique Nanostructures for Liquid Fuel Cells

In recent years, research efforts have been focused on the design and fabrication of highly efficient catalysts for liquid fuel cells, because the use of these cells is an important approach for alleviating environmental pollution and energy crises. However, the limitations of the catalytic performance of industrial Pt/C have strongly hindered the development of these fuel cells. The catalyst morphology has a strong impact on its performance; nanostructured catalysts are preferred as they offer large specific surface area and more exposed active centers. In view of this, many catalysts with unique structures have been synthesized in recent years, all of which show excellent catalytic performance characteristics. Despite these achievements, few efforts have been made to survey this field comprehensively. Herein, the recent advances in catalysts for liquid fuel cells are summarized, with a focus on noble metal catalysts with unique morphologies such as nanowires, nanosheets, and assembly structures. Their formation mechanisms are discussed critically. The relationship between the unique morphologies and excellent performance of these catalysts is also explored. This work may provide guidelines for the further development of liquid fuel cells.

Sol-Gel Synthesis of Ruthenium Oxide Nanowires To Enhance Methanol Oxidation in Supported Platinum Nanoparticle Catalysts

A template-directed, sol-gel synthesis is utilized to produce crystalline RuO₂ nanowires. Crystalline nanowires with a diameter of 128 ± 15 nm were synthesized after treating the nanowires at 600 °C in air. Analysis of these nanowires by X-ray powder diffraction revealed the major crystalline phase to be tetragonal RuO₂ with a small quantity of metallic ruthenium present. Further analysis of the nanowire structures by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that they are polycrystalline and are composed of interconnected, highly crystalline, nanoparticles having an average size of ∼25 nm. Uniform 3 nm Pt nanoparticles were dispersed on the surface of RuO₂ nanowires using an ambient, solution-based technique yielding a hybrid catalyst for methanol oxidation. Linear sweep voltammograms (LSVs) and chronoamperometry performed in the presence of methanol in an acidic electrolyte revealed a significant enhancement in the onset potential, mass activity, and long-term stability compared with analogous Pt nanoparticles supported on commercially available Vulcan XC-72R carbon nanoparticles. Formic acid oxidation LSVs and CO stripping voltammetry revealed that the RuO₂-supported Pt nanoparticles exhibit significantly higher CO tolerance, which leads to higher catalytic stability over a period of several hours. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results suggest that crystalline RuO₂ leads to less-significant oxidation of the Pt surface relative to more widely studied hydrous RuO₂ supports, thereby increasing catalytic performance.

Thermal Properties and Segregation Behavior of Pt Nanowires Modified with Au, Ag, and Pd Atoms: A Classical Molecular Dynamics Study

Platinum nanowires (NWs) have been reported to be catalytically active toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The edge modification of Pt NWs with metals M (M = Au, Ag, or Pd) may have a positive impact on the overall ORR activity by facilitating diffusion of adsorbed oxygen, O_ads, and hydroxyl groups, OH_ads, between the {001} and {111} terraces. In the present study, we have employed classical molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the segregation behavior of Au, Ag, and Pd decorating the edges of Pt NWs. We observe that, under vacuum conditions, Pd prefers to diffuse toward the core rather than stay on the NW surface. Ag and Au atoms are mobile at temperatures as low as 900 K; they remain on the surface but do not appear to be preferentially more stable at edge sites. To effect segregation of Au and Ag atoms toward the edge, we propose annealing in the presence of different reactive gas environments. Overall, our study suggests potential experimental steps required for the synthesis of Pt nanowires and nanoparticles with improved O_ads and OH_ads interfacet diffusion rates and consequently an improved ORR activity.

Monodispersed Pt3Ni Nanoparticles as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for PEMFCs

A facile strategy is proposed to synthesize monodispersed Pt3Ni nanoparticles. Such a kind of electrocatalyst shows a larger electrochemical surface area (98.9 m2 gpt−1) and double the mass activity of the oxygen reduction reaction activity compared to commercial Pt/C catalyst. The results show that the suitable addition of Ni and triethylamine in the reduction process plays an important role in controlling the size and dispersion of Pt3Ni nanoparticles. A further membrane electrode assembly test proves that as-prepared Pt3Ni nanoparticles can greatly enhance the electrochemical performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, which exhibits a great potential of application in fuel cells.

Direct synthesis of ultralong platinum nanowires with prominent electrocatalytic performance using lanreotide biotemplate

Due to the dependence on the morphology, size and composition of Pt-based nanomaterials on their catalytic properties, rational design can improve the utilization efficiency and catalytic performance of Pt. As inspired by this, the ultralong Pt nanowires (ULPtNWs) with a diameter of 25 nm were prepared by a mild, green and direct peptide mediated biological template method. Impressively, ULPtNWs with a large electrochemical active surface area (57.2 m² g^-1) were obtained, exhibiting that the peak current density for the methanol oxidation was approximately three-fold better than commercial Pt/C catalyst owing to the high aspect ratio (1.6 × 10³ or more). Additionally, the excellent poison resistance of the product was demonstrated, which can be attributed to the high (111) plane. These enhancements indicate that ULPtNWs as a promising catalyst have broad application prospects in the field of direct methanol fuel cells or other electrocatalysis.

1D alloy ultrafine Pt-Fe nanowires as efficient electrocatalysts for alcohol electrooxidation in alkaline media

Fuel cells have been gaining much interest due to their advantages of high energy conversion efficiency, easy handling, etc., whereas some drawbacks of anode catalysts regarding limited performances have seriously restricted their practical applications. Therefore, the development of anode nanocatalysts with higher activity and stability has become an urgent need. In view of this, we have developed a facile wet-chemical approach to synthesize 1D alloy ultrafine Pt-Fe NWs, and we have also revealed the formation mechanism of the ultrafine Pt-Fe NWs using time-dependent studies. More importantly, 1D ultrafine nanowires with anisotropy, superior flexibility, high surface area and excellent conductivity are promising candidates for the improvement of nanocatalytic activity and stability enhancement. Therefore, the electrocatalytic activities of ultrafine Pt3Fe NWs in the oxidation of ethylene glycol and glycerol are 3.9 and 2.5 times greater than that of commercial Pt/C, respectively. Moreover, they provide excellent long-term stability. Our efforts may potentially promote the commercialization of fuel cells to some extent.

Ultrathin Uniform Platinum Nanowires via a Facile Route Using an Inverse Hexagonal Surfactant Phase Template

We present an attractive method for the fabrication of long, straight, highly crystalline, ultrathin platinum nanowires. The fabrication is simply achieved using an inverse hexagonal (H_II) lyotropic liquid crystal phase of the commercial surfactant phytantriol as a template. A platinum precursor dissolved within the cylindrical aqueous channels of the liquid crystal phase is chemically reduced by galvanic displacement using stainless steel. We demonstrate the production of nanowires using the H_II phase in the phytantriol/water system which we obtain either by heating to 55 °C or at room temperature by the addition of a hydrophobic liquid, 9- cis-tricosene, to relieve packing frustration. The two sets of conditions produced high aspect nanowires with diameters of 2.5 and 1.7 nm, respectively, at least hundreds of nanometers in length, matching the size of the aqueous channels in which they grow. This versatile approach can be extended to produce highly uniform nanowires from a range of metals.

Finely Composition-Tunable Synthesis of Ultrafine Wavy PtRu Nanowires as Effective Electrochemical Sensors for Dopamine Detection

Preparing Pt-based one-dimensional (1D) ultrafine nanowires with abundant structural defects/grain boundaries and exploring their novel applications have attracted great interest in real-world applications. Here we introduce an environmentally friendly, facile aqueous solution approach to directly prepare a series of sub-3.0 nm PtRu ultrafine wavy nanowires. Characterizations show that the PtRu nanowires are alloy polycrystalline structures with abundant structural defects/grain boundaries. We first introduce the as-synthesized PtRu nanowires into electrochemical biosensors for the detection of DA and find that the Pt₇Ru₃ nanowires exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity to DA with fast response, ultralow limit of detection, and excellent selectivity at a potential of 0.3 V in 0.1 M phosphate buffered solution (pH 7.2). This study shows an effective approach to the development of ultrafine PtRu nanowires as electrocatalysts for electrochemical nonenzymatic dopamine biosensors.

From mixed to three-layer core/shell PtCu nanoparticles: ligand-induced surface segregation to enhance electrocatalytic activity

Core-shell segregated bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit increased enhanced catalytic performance compared to that of mixed bimetallic NPs. Here, we report a simple, yet efficient, one-pot synthetic strategy to synthesize uniform three-layer core/shell PtCu NPs by adding benzyl ether (BE) in the synthesis process of mixed PtCu NPs. In comparison with commercial Pt/C and also mixed PtCu NPs, the three-layer core/shell PtCu NPs exhibit superior activity in catalyzing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR), methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR), mainly due to the ligand (BE)-induced surface segregation of Pt on the surface of the NPs.

Facile synthesis of silicon nitride nanowires with flexible mechanical properties and with diameters controlled by flow rate

Ultralong Si₃N₄ nanowires (NWs) were successfully synthesized with size controlled in N₂ gas by using an efficient method. The diameters of the Si₃N₄ NWs increased when the flow rate of N₂ gas increased, with average diameters of 290 nm from flow rates of 100 ml/min, 343 nm from flow rates of 200 ml/min and 425 nm from flow rates of 400 ml/min. Young's modulus was found to rely strongly on the diameters of the Si₃N₄ NWs, decreasing from approximately 526.0 GPa to 321.9 GPa; as the diameters increased from 360 nm to 960 nm. These findings provide a promising method for tailoring these mechanical properties of the NWs in a controlled manner over a wide range of Young's modulus values. Vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanisms were used to model the growth of Si₃N₄ NWs on the inner wall of an alumina crucible and on the surface of the powder mixture. Alumina may be an effective mediator of NW growth that plays an important role in controlling the concentrations of Si-containing reactants to support the growth of NWs on the inner wall of the alumina crucible. This approach offers a valuable means for preparing ultralong Si₃N₄ NWs doped with Al with unique properties.

Worm-Shape Pt Nanocrystals Grown on Nitrogen-Doped Low-Defect Graphene Sheets: Highly Efficient Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation Reaction

Although direct methanol fuel cell offers high energy use efficiency and low pollution emission, the lack of suitable electrode materials poses a great challenge to its commercial application. Herein, a facile and scalable approach is developed to fabricate a hybrid electrocatalyst consisting of strongly coupled worm-shape Pt nanocrystals and nitrogen-doped low-defect graphene (N-LDG) sheets. Interestingly, it is found that the formation of Pt nanoworms (NWs) is induced by the N atoms in the high-quality carbon matrix, which also allows the integration of their respective structural advantages and leads to a strong synergetic coupling effect. As a result, the obtained Pt NW/N-LDG catalyst exhibits an extremely high mass activity of 1283.1 mA mg^-1 toward methanol oxidation reaction, accompanied by reliable long-term stability and good antipoisoning ability, which are dramatically enhanced as compared with conventional Pt nanoparticle catalysts dispersed on undoped LDG, reduced graphene oxide, and commercial carbon black supports.

In Situ Assembly of Ultrathin PtRh Nanowires to Graphene Nanosheets as Highly Efficient Electrocatalysts for the Oxidation of Ethanol

One-dimensional (1D) anisotropic platinum-based nanowires are promising electrocatalysts in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells owing to the inherent structural merits. Herein, we report an in situ growth of ultrathin PtRh nanowires (diameters of 2-3 nm) on graphene nanosheets via the oriented attachment pathway. Mechanistic studies reveal that graphene nanosheets play a critical role in the nucleation and growth of PtRh nanowires. The resulting hybrid of PtRh nanowire decorated graphene nanosheets shows outstanding activity and durability toward ethanol electro-oxidation. It exhibits a specific current density of 2.8 mA cm^-2 and a mass-normalized current density of 1 A mg^-1 metal, which are 5.4 and 3.1 times those of the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst, respectively. After 2000 cyclic tests, it maintains 86% of the initial electrochemically active surface area, which is larger than that of 63% obtained from the Pt/C catalyst. The superior performance is attributed to the combination of the advantageous 1D morphological motif with the synergistic effects of PtRh alloys and graphene nanosheet support.

Resistive switching effects depending on Ni content in Au/NixPt(1−x) nanoparticle devices

NixPt_(1−x) nanoparticles were synthesized with x ranging from 1 to 0.7 and resistive switching effects depending on Ni contents were found in Au/NixPt_(1−x) nanoparticle devices.

High performance MWCNT–Pt nanocomposite-based cathode for passive direct methanol fuel cells

The membrane electrode assembly with MWCNT–Pt nanocomposite-based cathode shows high performance for passive direct methanol fuel cells.

Chemical Strategies for Enhancing Activity and Charge Transfer in Ultrathin Pt Nanowires Immobilized onto Nanotube Supports for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) represent a promising support medium for electrocatalysts, especially Pt nanoparticles (NPs). The advantages of using MWNTs include their large surface area, high conductivity, as well as long-term stability. Surface functionalization of MWNTs with various terminal groups, such as -COOH, -SH, and -NH₂, allows for rational electronic tuning of catalyst-support interactions. However, several issues still need to be addressed for such systems. First, over the course of an electrochemical run, catalyst durability can decrease, due in part to metal NP dissolution, a process facilitated by the inherently high surface defect concentration within the support. Second, the covalent functionalization treatment of MWNTs adopted by most groups tends to lead to a loss of structural integrity of the nanotubes (NTs). To mitigate for all of these issues, we have utilized two different attachment approaches (i.e., covalent versus noncovalent) to functionalize the outer walls of pristine MWNTs and compared the catalytic performance of as-deposited ultrathin (<2 nm) 1D Pt nanowires with that of conventional Pt NPs toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Our results demonstrated that the electrochemical activity of Pt nanostructures immobilized onto functionalized carbon nanotube (CNT) supports could be dramatically improved by using ultrathin Pt nanowires (instead of NPs) with noncovalently (as opposed to covalently) functionalized CNT supports. Spectroscopic evidence corroborated the definitive presence of charge transfer between the metal catalysts and the underlying NT support, whose direction and magnitude are a direct function of (i) the terminal chemistry as well as (ii) the attachment methodology, both of which simultaneously impact upon the observed electrocatalytic performance. Specifically, the use of a noncovalent π-π stacking method coupled with a -COOH terminal moiety yielded the highest performance results, reported to date, for any similar system consisting of Pt (commercial NPs or otherwise) deposited onto carbon-based supports, a finding of broader interest toward the fabrication of high-performing electrocatalysts in general.

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.

Ternary dendritic nanowires as highly active and stable multifunctional electrocatalysts

Multimetallic nanocatalysts with a controlled structure can provide enhanced catalytic activity and durability by exploiting electronic, geometric, and strain effects. Herein, we report the synthesis of a novel ternary nanocatalyst based on Mo doped PtNi dendritic nanowires (Mo-PtNi DNW) and its bifunctional application in the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) at the anode and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode for direct methanol fuel cells. An unprecedented Mo-PtNi DNW structure can combine multiple structural attributes of the 1D nanowire morphology and dendritic surfaces. In the MOR, Mo-PtNi DNW exhibits superior activity to Pt/C and Mo doped Pt dendritic nanowires (Mo-Pt DNW), and excellent durability. Furthermore, Mo-PtNi DNW demonstrates excellent activity and durability for the ORR. This work highlights the important role of compositional and structural control in nanocatalysts for boosting catalytic performances.

Helical Growth of Ultrathin Gold-Copper Nanowires

In this work, we report the synthesis and detailed structural characterization of novel helical gold-copper nanowires. The nanowires possess the Boerdijk-Coxeter-Bernal structure, based on the pile up of octahedral, icosahedral, and/or decahedral seeds. They are self-assembled into a coiled manner as individual wires or into a parallel-ordering way as groups of wires. The helical nanowires are ultrathin with a diameter of less than 10 nm and variable length of several micrometers, presenting a high density of twin boundaries and stacking faults. To the best of our knowledge, such gold-copper nanowires have never been reported previously.