A Review on Recent Developments and Prospects for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Hollow Pt-alloy Nanoparticles

Due to their interesting electrocatalytic properties for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), hollow Pt-alloy nanoparticles (NPs) supported on high-surface-area carbon attract growing interest. However, the suitable synthesis methods and associated mechanisms of formation, the reasons for their enhanced specific activity for the ORR, and the nature of adequate alloying elements and carbon supports for this type of nanocatalysts remain open questions. This Review aims at shedding light on these topics with a special emphasis on hollow PtNi NPs supported onto Vulcan C (PtNi/C). We first show how hollow Pt-alloy/C NPs can be synthesized by a mechanism involving galvanic replacement and the nanoscale Kirkendall effect. Nickel, cobalt, copper, zinc, and iron (Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, and Fe, respectively) were tested for the formation of Pt-alloy/C hollow nanostructures. Our results indicate that metals with standard potential -0.4<E<0.4 V (vs. the normal hydrogen electrode) and propensity to spontaneously form metal borides in the presence of sodium borohydride are adequate sacrificial templates. As they lead to smaller hollow Pt-alloy/C NPs, mesoporous carbon supports are also best suited for this type of synthesis. A comparison of the electrocatalytic activity towards the ORR or the electrooxidation of a CO_ads monolayer, methanol or ethanol of hollow and solid Pt-alloy/C NPs underlines the pivotal role of the structural disorder of the metal lattice, and is supported by ab initio calculations. As evidenced by accelerated stress tests simulating proton-exchange membrane fuel cell cathode operating conditions, the beneficial effect of structural disorder is maintained on the long term, thereby bringing promises for the synthesis of highly active and robust ORR electrocatalysts.

Electrochemical valorisation of glycerol

The worldwide glycerol stocks are increasing; to make the biodiesel industry sustainable economically, this chemical could be used as a secondary primary raw material. Electric energy or hydrogen and added-value-chemical cogeneration becomes more and more an important research topic for increasing economical and industrial interests towards electrochemical technologies. Studies on glycerol electrooxidation for fuel or electrolysis cell applications are scarce. The valorisation of glycerol is generally performed by organic chemistry reactions forming, for example, esters, glycerol carbonates, ethers, acetals or ketals. Glycerol oxidation is made up of complex pathway reactions that can produce a large number of useful intermediates or valuable fine chemicals with presently limited market impact due to expensive production processes. Many of these chemical oxidation routes lead to significant amounts of undesired by-products, and enzymatic processes are limited. Converse to classical heterogeneous processes, electrocatalytic oxidation processes can be tuned by controlling the nature, composition and structure of the electrocatalyts as well as the electrode potential. Such control may lead to very high selectivity and activity, avoiding or limiting product separation steps. The coupling of glycerol oxidation to produce chemicals with the oxygen reduction reaction in a fuel cell or water reduction reaction in an electrolysis cell on Pt-free catalysts results either in coproduction of electrical energy or hydrogen for energy storage.

Platinum-Ruthenium Nanoparticles: Active and Selective Catalysts for Hydrogenation of Phenylacetylene

Bimetallic metal nanoparticles are often more catalytically active than their monometallic counterparts, due to a so-called ‘synergistic effect’. Atomically precise ruthenium-platinum clusters have been shown to be active in the hydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene (a reaction of importance to the polymer industry). However, the synthesis of these clusters is generally complex, and cannot be modified to produce clusters with differing metal compositions or ratios. Hence, any truly systematic study of compositional effects using such clusters is hindered by the inaccessibility of certain metal ratios. In this study, a series of larger bimetallic ruthenium-platinum colloids of varying metal ratios was synthesised in solution and immobilised on silica. Catalytic activity was evaluated by hydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene. Both bimetallic and monometallic colloids were active catalysts for the hydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene and further to ethylbenzene. Of those studied, a catalyst composed of 73 % platinum-27 % ruthenium (by moles) showed the highest activity. This suggests that synergistic effects play an important role in the catalysis of this reaction. To our knowledge this is the first systematic study of ruthenium-platinum nanoparticle catalytic activity on this reaction.

Methanol electrooxidation on PtRu bulk alloys and carbon-supported PtRu nanoparticle catalysts: a quantitative DEMS study

Methanol electrooxidation on smooth Pt and PtRu bulk alloys and carbon-supported Pt and PtRu nanoparticle catalysts has been studied using cyclic voltammetry and potential step chronoamperometry combined with differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS). The current efficiencies for generated CO2 and methyl formate were calculated from Faradaic current (coulometric charge) and mass spectrometric currents (charges) at m/z=44 and m/z=60. The effects of Ru content in PtRu catalysts, catalyst loading/roughness, and the concentration of sulfuric acid as supporting electrolyte on the reaction kinetics and product distribution during methanol electrooxidation have been investigated. The results indicate that Pt-rich PtRu alloys and carbon-supported PtRu catalysts with ca. 20 atom % Ru content exhibit the highest catalytic activity for methanol electrooxidation, that is, the highest Faradaic current and the highest current efficiency for CO2 generation at low applied potentials. As the catalyst loading/roughness increases, the current efficiency for CO2 formation increases due to the further oxidation of soluble intermediates (formaldehyde and formic acid). At high concentrations of sulfuric acid, the electrooxidation of methanol was suppressed; both the oxidative current and the current efficiency of CO2 decreased, likely due to sulfate/bisulfate adsorption.

Composition effects of FePt alloy nanoparticles on the electro-oxidation of formic acid

The catalytic activities of FexPt100-x alloy nanoparticles at different compositions (x=10, 15, 42, 54, 58, and 63) in the electro-oxidation of formic acid have been investigated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was observed that the electrocatalytic performance was strongly dependent on the FePt particle composition. In chronoamperometric measurements, the alloy particles at x approximately 50 showed the highest steady-state current density among the catalysts under study and maintained the best long-term stability. In addition, on the basis of the anodic peak current density, onset potentials, and the ratios of the anodic peak current density to the cathodic peak current density in CV studies, the catalytic activity for HCOOH oxidation was found to decrease in the order of Fe42Pt58>Fe54Pt46 approximately Fe58Pt42>Fe15Pt85>Fe10Pt90>Fe63Pt37. That is, within the present experimental context, the alloy nanoparticles at x approximately 50 appeared to exhibit the maximum electrocatalytic activity and stability with optimal tolerance to CO poisoning. Consistent responses were also observed in electrochemical impedance spectroscopic measurements. For the alloy nanoparticles that showed excellent tolerance to CO poisoning, the impedance in the Nyquist plots was found to change sign from positive to negative with increasing electrode potential, suggesting that the electron-transfer kinetics evolved from resistive to pseudoinductive and then to inductive characters. However, for the nanoparticles that were heavily poisoned by adsorbed CO species during formic acid oxidation, the impedance was found to be confined to the first quadrant at all electrode potentials. The present work highlights the influence of the molecular composition of Pt-based alloy electrocatalysts on the performance of formic acid electro-oxidation, an important aspect in the design of bimetal electrocatalysts in fuel cell applications.

In-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy study of Pt and Ru chemistry during methanol electrooxidation

Methanol electrooxidation in a 0.5 M sulfuric acid electrolyte containing 1.0 M CH3OH was studied on 30% Pt/carbon and 30% PtRu/carbon (Pt/Ru = 1:1) catalysts using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Absorption by Pt and Ru was measured at constant photon energy in the near edge region during linear potential sweeps of 10-50 mV/s between 0.01 and 1.36 V vs rhe. The absorption results were used to follow Pt and Ru oxidation and reduction under transient conditions as well as to monitor Ru dissolution. Both catalysts exhibited higher activity for methanol oxidation at high potential following multiple potential cycles. Correlation of XAS data with the potential sweeps indicates that Pt catalysts lose activity at high potentials due to Pt oxidation. The addition of Ru to Pt accelerates the rate of methanol oxidation at all potentials. Ru is more readily oxidized than Pt, but unlike Pt, its oxidation does not result in a decrease in catalytic activity. PtRu/carbon catalysts underwent significant changes during potential cycling due to Ru loss. Similar current density vs potential results were obtained using the same PtRu/carbon catalyst at the same loading in a membrane electrode assembly half cell with only a Nafion (DuPont) solid electrolyte. The results are interpreted in terms of a bifunctional catalyst mechanism in which Pt surface sites serve to chemisorb and dissociate methanol to protons and carbon monoxide, while Ru surface sites activate water and accelerate the oxidation of the chemisorbed CO intermediate. PtRu/carbon catalysts maintain their activity at very high potentials, which is attributed to the ability of the added Ru to keep Pt present in a reduced state, a necessary requirement for methanol chemisorption and dissociation.

Glucose biosensor based on nano-SiO2 and "unprotected" Pt nanoclusters

The "unprotected" Pt nanoclusters (average size 2 nm) mixed with the nanoscale SiO(2) particles (average size 13 nm) were used as a glucose oxidase immobilization carrier to fabricate the amperometric glucose biosensor. The bioactivity of glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilized on the composite was maintained and the as-prepared biosensor demonstrated high sensitivity (3.85 microA mM(-1)) and good stability in glucose solution. The Pt-SiO(2) biosensor showed a detection limit of 1.5 microM with a linear range from 0.27 to 4.08 mM. In addition, the biosensor can be operated under wide pH range (pH 4.9-7.5) without great changes in its sensitivity. Cyclic voltammetry measurements showed a mixed controlled electrode reaction.

PtRu nanoparticle electrocatalyst with bulk alloy properties prepared through a sonochemical method

Properties of PtRu nanoparticles prepared using high-intensity sonochemistry are reported. Syntheses were carried out in tetrahydrofuran (THF) containing Ru3+ and Pt4+ in a fixed mole ratio of either 1:10 or 1:1. X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed sonocation produces an alloy phase and showed that the composition of the nanometer scale metal particles is close to the mole fraction of Ru3+ and Pt4+ in solution with deviations that tend toward Ru enrichment in the alloy phase. The materials gave responses that are similar in terms of peak potential and current density, referenced to the catalyst active surface area, to those of bulk alloys in voltammetry experiments involving CO stripping and CH3OH electrochemical oxidation in 0.1 M H2SO4. The results show that sonochemical methods have the potential to produce nanometer scale bimetallic electrocatalysts that possess alloy properties. The materials have application in mechanistic studies of fuel cell reactions and as platforms for the development of CO tolerant fuel cell catalyst.