Golden single-atomic-site platinum electrocatalysts

Bimetallic nanoparticles with tailored structures constitute a desirable model system for catalysts, as crucial factors such as geometric and electronic effects can be readily controlled by tailoring the structure and alloy bonding of the catalytic site. Here we report a facile colloidal method to p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature materials 2018-11, Vol.17 (11), p.1033-1039
Main Authors: Duchesne, Paul N, Li, Z Y, Deming, Christopher P, Fung, Victor, Zhao, Xiaojing, Yuan, Jun, Regier, Tom, Aldalbahi, Ali, Almarhoon, Zainab, Chen, Shaowei, Jiang, De-En, Zheng, Nanfeng, Zhang, Peng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bimetals
Bonding
Catalysis
Catalysts
Catalytic activity
Computer simulation
Density functional theory
Electrocatalysts
Formic acid
Gold
Nanoparticles
Oxidation
Platinum
Structural analysis
Theoretical density
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Summary:Bimetallic nanoparticles with tailored structures constitute a desirable model system for catalysts, as crucial factors such as geometric and electronic effects can be readily controlled by tailoring the structure and alloy bonding of the catalytic site. Here we report a facile colloidal method to prepare a series of platinum-gold (PtAu) nanoparticles with tailored surface structures and particle diameters on the order of 7 nm. Samples with low Pt content, particularly Pt Au , exhibited unprecedented electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of formic acid. A high forward current density of 3.77 A mg was observed for Pt Au , a value two orders of magnitude greater than those observed for core-shell structured Pt Au and a commercial Pt nanocatalyst. Extensive structural characterization and theoretical density functional theory simulations of the best-performing catalysts revealed densely packed single-atom Pt surface sites surrounded by Au atoms, which suggests that their superior catalytic activity and selectivity could be attributed to the unique structural and alloy-bonding properties of these single-atomic-site catalysts.
ISSN:1476-1122
1476-4660
DOI:10.1038/s41563-018-0167-5