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 PtAu, exhibited unprecedented electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of formic acid. A high forward current density of 3.77 A mg was observed for PtAu, a value two orders of magnitude greater than those observed for core-shell structured PtAu 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.
Graphene quantum dots (GQDs)-supported palladium nanoparticles were synthesized by thermolytic reduction of PdCl 2 in 1,2propanediol at 80 °C in the presence of GQDs and then were subject to hydrothermal treatment at an elevated temperature within the range of 140 to 200 °C. Transmission electron microscopic measurements showed a raspberry-like morphology for the samples before and after hydrothermal treatment at temperatures ≤160 °C, where nanoparticles of ca. 8 nm in diameter formed large aggregates in the range of 50 to 100 nm in diameter, and at higher hydrothermal temperatures (180 and 200 °C), chain-like nanostructures were formed instead. X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopic measurements revealed that the GQD structural defects were readily removed by hydrothermal treatments, and the defect concentrations exhibited a clear diminishment with increasing hydrothermal temperature, as indicated by the loss of oxygenated carbons in XPS and a drop in the D to G band ratio in Raman measurements. Voltammetric studies showed apparent electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reduction, with a volcano-shaped variation of the activity with GQD defect concentration, and the peak activity was observed for the sample prepared at 180 °C with a mass activity of 23.9 A/g Pd and specific activity of 1.08 A/m 2 at +0.9 V vs RHE. This peak activity is attributed to optimal interactions between Pd and GQD where the GQD defects promoted charge transfer from metal to GQDs and hence weakened interactions with oxygenated intermediates, leading to enhanced ORR activity. The corresponding defect concentration was higher than that identified with the platinum counterparts due to the stronger affinity of oxygen to palladium.
Dodecyne‐capped AuPd alloy nanoparticles of varying compositions were prepared through the co‐reduction of metal‐salt precursors with NaBH4. TEM measurements showed that the particles were largely in the range of 2–6 nm in diameter. XPS studies showed that the atomic Pd concentration varied from 65 to 100 %. Infrared spectroscopic measurements confirmed the bonding attachment of the dodecyne ligands on the nanoparticle surfaces, which rendered the nanoparticles readily dispersible in common organic media. Electrochemically, the resulting nanoparticles exhibited apparent catalytic activity in oxygen reduction with a volcano‐shaped variation with the metal composition. The best performance was identified with the sample composed of 91.2 at % Pd that exhibited a mass activity over eight times better than that of commercial palladium black, and almost twice as good in terms of specific activity. This remarkable performance was accounted for by both alloying with gold and surface functionalization with alkyne ligands that manipulated the electronic interactions between palladium and oxygen species.
Palladium nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQD) were synthesized by hydrothermal coreduction of palladium salts, citric acid, and urea at 160 °C for up to 12 h. Transmission electron microscopic studies showed that in the resulting PdNGQD nanocomposites, small palladium nanoparticles clustered into superstructures of 100 nm and larger. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies showed that the NGQDs contained only p-type pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen centers, and although the total concentrations of nitrogen dopants were rather consistent (ca. 10 at. %) among the series of samples, the relative abundance of pyrrolic (pyridinic) nitrogens increased (decreased) with prolonging reaction duration, suggesting thermal conversion of pyridinic nitrogens into pyrrolic ones. The binding energy of the Pd 3d electrons was found to increase accordingly, probably due to enhanced electron withdrawing by the more acidic pyrrolic nitrogens. This suggests apparent interactions between palladium and the nitrogen dopants. Consistent results were obtained in Raman spectroscopic measurements which showed an increase of the D and G band intensity ratio, indicative of an increasingly defective structure of the NGQD. This was consistent with the increasing abundance of pyrrolic centers which provided more structural strains than the six-membered pyridinic heterocycles within the graphitic backbone. Electrochemically, the series of PdNGQDs all showed apparent electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reduction in alkaline media, and within the context of onset potential and kinetic current density, the sample prepared by 8 h of hydrothermal reaction was found to stand out as the best catalyst among the series, with a top specific activity that was over eight times better than that observed when palladium nanoparticles were supported on undoped GQDs and commercial Pt/C. This might be accounted for by the enhanced electron withdrawing effects of the pyrrolic nitrogen centers that manipulated the electronic interactions between palladium and oxygen intermediates, as compared to oxygenated moieties alone in undoped GQDs.
Gold core@silver semishell Janus nanoparticles were prepared by chemical etching of Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles at the air/water interface. Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical deposition of a silver shell onto gold seed colloids followed by the self-assembly of 1-dodecanethiol onto the nanoparticle surface. The nanoparticles then formed a monolayer on the water surface of a Langmuir-Blodgett trough, and part of the silver shell was selectively etched away by the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia in the water subphase, where the etching was limited to the side of the nanoparticles that was in direct contact with water. The resulting Janus nanoparticles exhibited an asymmetrical distribution of silver on the surface of the gold cores, as manifested in transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis absorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Interestingly, the Au@Ag semishell Janus nanoparticles exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity in oxygen reduction reactions, as compared to their Au@Ag and Ag@Au core-shell counterparts, likely due to a synergistic effect between the gold cores and silver semishells that optimized oxygen binding to the nanoparticle surface.
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