One‐Pot Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Properties of Pd@Pt Core‐Shell Nanocrystals with Tailored Morphologies

Pd@Pt core‐shell nanocrystals consisting of well‐defined Pd nanocube cores and dendritic Pt shells were prepared by a new facile aqueous one‐pot synthetic method. The prepared Pd@Pt nanocrystals exhibited efficient catalytic activity and stability toward methanol electrooxidation, and their catalytic function was highly dependent on their Pt shell thickness due to the different synergism between Pt and Pd.     

Effects of the Pt Shell Thickness on the Oxygen Reduction Reaction on a Well-Defined Pd@Pt Core-Shell Model Surface

The effect of the Pt shell thickness on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of a Pd@Pt core-shell catalyst was studied using surface science technics and computational approaches. We found Pt shells on Pd rods to be negatively charged because of charge transfer from the Pd substrate when the shell thicknesses were 0.5 or 1 monolayer (ML). The activities of the ORR of the model surface with a Pt shell of 0.5 or 1 ML were similar and more than twice the activities of a Pt/C or Pt rod. The relationship between the ORR activity and the thickness of the Pt shell was the exact opposite of the relationship between the Pt binding energy and the Pt shell thickness. The indication was that more negatively charged Pt had higher ORR activity. Density functional theory calculations confirmed that a single layer of Pt atoms located on Pd was negatively charged compared to pure Pt and resulted in a lower barrier to the rate-limiting step of the ORR.     

Pd@Pt Core–Shell Nanoparticles with Branched Dandelion‐like Morphology as Highly Efficient Catalysts for Olefin Reduction

A facile synthesis based on the addition of ascorbic acid to a mixture of Na₂PdCl₄, K₂PtCl₆, and Pluronic P123 results in highly branched core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) with a micro–mesoporous dandelion‐like morphology comprising Pd core and Pt shell. The slow reduction kinetics associated with the use of ascorbic acid as a weak reductant and suitable Pd/Pt atomic ratio (1:1) play a principal role in the formation mechanism of such branched Pd@Pt core–shell NPs, which differs from the traditional seed‐mediated growth. The catalyst efficiently achieves the reduction of a variety of olefins in good to excellent yields. Importantly, higher catalytic efficiency of dandelion‐like Pd@Pt core–shell NPs was observed for the olefin reduction than commercially available Pt black, Pd NPs, and physically admixed Pt black and Pd NPs. This superior catalytic behavior is not only due to larger surface area and synergistic effects but also to the unique micro–mesoporous structure with significant contribution of mesopores with sizes of several tens of nanometers.     

Electrochemical Designing of Au/Pt Core Shell Nanoparticles as Nanostructured Catalyst with Tunable Activity for Oxygen Reduction

Au/Pt core shell nanoparticles (NPs) have been prepared via a layer‐by‐layer growth of Pt layers on Au NPs using underpotential deposition (UPD) redox replacement technique. A single UPD Cu monolayer replacement with Pt(II) yielded a uniform Pt film on Au NPs, and the shell thickness can be tuned by controlling the number of UPD redox replacement cycles. Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in air‐saturated 0.1 M H₂SO₄ was used to investigate the electrocatalytic behavior of the as‐prepared core shell NPs. Cyclic voltammograms of ORR show that the peak potentials shift positively from 0.32 V to 0.48 V with the number of Pt layers increasing from one to five, suggesting the electrocatalytic activity increases with increasing the thickness of Pt shell. The increase in electrocatalytic activity may originate mostly from the large decrease of electronic influence of Au cores on surface Pt atoms. Rotating ring‐disk electrode voltammetry and rotating disk electrode voltammetry demonstrate that ORR is mainly a four‐electron reduction on the as‐prepared modified electrode with 5 Pt layers and first charge transfer is the rate‐determining step.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Dendrimer‐Encapsulated Bimetallic Core‐Shell PdPt Nanoparticles

Using a successive method, PAMAM dendrimer‐encapsulated bimetallic PdPt nanoparticles have been successfully prepared with core‐shell structures (Pd@Pt DENs). Evidenced by UV‐vis spectra, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X‐ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), the obtained Pd@Pt DENs are monodispersed and located inside the cavity of dendrimers, and they show a different structure from monometallic Pt or Pd and alloy PdPt DENs. The core‐shell structure of Pd@Pt DENs is further confirmed by infrared measurements with carbon monoxide (IR‐CO) probe. In order to prepare Pd@Pt DENs, a required Pd/Pt ratio of 1:2 is determined for the Pt shell to cover the Pd core completely. Finally, a mechanism for the formation of Pd@Pt DENs is proposed.     

超细Pd纳米线表层富Pt作为耐久性氧还原催化剂研究

本文控制合成一维方向生长的直径为1.5 nm,长度为11.8 nm的超细Pd纳米线,结合欠电位沉积方法在其表面制备了不同Pt原子层的Pd@Pt核壳结构纳米电催化剂. 高分辨透射电镜和光电子能谱结果证实了这种核壳结构及Pt在Pd纳米线上的均匀分布. 相比于商业化Pt黑催化剂,该核壳结构电催化剂对酸性介质中的氧气还原反应呈现了较高的电催化活性和增强的耐久性. 显著增强的耐久性可归属于催化剂一维结构的稳定性.     

A Nanoporous PdCo Alloy as a Highly Active Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen‐Reduction Reaction and Formic Acid Electrooxidation

A nanoporous (NP) PdCo alloy with uniform structure size and controllable bimetallic ratio was fabricated simply by one‐step mild dealloying of a PdCoAl precursor alloy. The as‐made alloy consists of a nanoscaled bicontinuous network skeleton with interconnected hollow channels that extend in all three dimensions. With a narrow ligament size distribution around 5 nm, the NP PdCo alloy exhibits much higher electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen‐reduction reaction (ORR) with enhanced specific and mass activities relative to NP Pd and commercial Pt/C catalysts. A long‐term stability test demonstrated that NP PdCo has comparable catalytic durability with less loss of ORR activity and electrochemical surface area than Pt/C. The NP PdCo alloy also shows dramatically enhanced catalytic activity towards formic acid electrooxidation relative to NP Pd and Pd/C catalysts. The as‐made NP PdCo holds great application potential as a promising cathode as well as an anode electrocatalyst in fuel cells with the advantages of superior catalytic performance and easy preparation.     

Ultrathin-Polyaniline-Coated Pt–Ni Alloy Nanooctahedra for the Electrochemical Methanol Oxidation Reaction

Controlling the morphology and composition of nanocatalysts constructed from metals and conductive polymers has attracted attention owing to their great potential for the development of high-efficiency catalysts for various catalytic applications. Herein, a facile synthetic approach for ultrathin-polyaniline-coated Pt–Ni nanooctahedra (Pt-Ni@PANI hybrids) with controllable PANI shell thicknesses is presented. Pt–Ni nanooctahedra/C catalysts enclosed by PANI shells with thicknesses from 0.6 to 2.4 nm were obtained by fine control over the amount of aniline. The various Pt-Ni@PANI hybrids exhibited electrocatalytic activity toward the methanol oxidation reaction that is highly dependent on the thickness of the PANI shell. Pt-Ni@PANI hybrids with the thinnest PANI shells (0.6 nm) showed markedly improved electrocatalytic performance for the methanol oxidation reaction compared with Pt-Ni@PANI hybrids with thicker PANI shells, Pt–Ni nanooctahedra/C, and commercial Pt/C due to synergistic benefits of ultrathin PANI shells and Pt–Ni alloy.     

A Mesoporous Nanorattle‐Structured Pd@PtRu Electrocatalyst

Pt‐based nanomaterials play important roles in the catalytic process toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Rationally regulating the composition and morphology of the catalysts could enhance the catalytic performance effectively. In this work, an effective method is presented to synthesize Pd@ mesoporous PtRu nanorattles (Pd@mPtRu NRs) containing a Pd core and a mesoporous PtRu shell. Owing to the unique structure and PtRu alloy composition, the prepared Pd@mPtRu NRs exhibit an enhanced catalytic performance and durability toward ORR relative to mesoporous PtRu hollow nanoparticles (mPtRu HNs) and commercial Pt/C. The proposed approach may provide a general way to synthesize Pt‐based yolk‐shell structures with different compositions.     

Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanosheets with Size‐Defined Mesopores as Highly Efficient Metal‐Free Catalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Nitrogen‐doped carbon nanosheets (NDCN) with size‐defined mesopores are reported as highly efficient metal‐free catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). A uniform and tunable mesoporous structure of NDCN is prepared using a templating approach. Such controlled mesoporous structure in the NDCN exerts an essential influence on the electrocatalytic performance in both alkaline and acidic media for the ORR. The NDCN catalyst with a pore diameter of 22 nm exhibits a more positive ORR onset potential than that of Pt/C (?0.01 V vs. ?0.02 V) and a high diffusion‐limited current approaching that of Pt/C (5.45 vs. 5.78 mA cm^?2) in alkaline medium. Moreover, the catalyst shows pronounced electrocatalytic activity and long‐term stability towards the ORR under acidic conditions. The unique planar mesoporous shells of the NDCN provide exposed highly electroactive and stable catalytic sites, which boost the electrocatalytic activity of metal‐free NDCN catalyst.     

内核含Pd的Pt基核壳结构电催化剂

燃料电池汽车已被确立为我国的战略性新兴产业,目前正处于大规模商业化的前夜,铂基电催化剂作为质子交换膜燃料电池的核心材料之一,其活性、耐久性和成本制约着这一洁净能源技术的进一步发展。高性能低铂核壳电催化剂被广泛认为有望解决这一瓶颈问题,虽然国内外在这一领域的研究取得了诸多重要的进展,但是仍存在着制备过程复杂、非铂贵金属内核尺寸较大及核壳结构宏观表征困难等问题。本文介绍两种相对简单、易放大的制备方法,即一锅法和液相合成结合区域选择原子层气相沉积法,均获得了性能优良的Pd3Au@Pt/C核壳结构电催化剂,Pd3Au内核尺寸控制在约5 nm,并利用循环伏安测试和甲酸氧化反应从宏观角度研究了铂层在内核表面的覆盖情况,探索了含钯核壳结构电催化剂的新型宏观表征方法。     

Tuning Nanoparticle Catalysis for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Advances in chemical syntheses have led to the formation of various kinds of nanoparticles (NPs) with more rational control of size, shape, composition, structure and catalysis. This review highlights recent efforts in the development of Pt and non‐Pt based NPs into advanced nanocatalysts for efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) under fuel‐cell reaction conditions. It first outlines the shape controlled synthesis of Pt NPs and their shape‐dependent ORR. Then it summarizes the studies of alloy and core–shell NPs with controlled electronic (alloying) and strain (geometric) effects for tuning ORR catalysis. It further provides a brief overview of ORR catalytic enhancement with Pt‐based NPs supported on graphene and coated with an ionic liquid. The review finally introduces some non‐Pt NPs as a new generation of catalysts for ORR. The reported new syntheses with NP parameter‐tuning capability should pave the way for future development of highly efficient catalysts for applications in fuel cells, metal‐air batteries, and even in other important chemical reactions.     

Ordered PdCu‐Based Nanoparticles as Bifunctional Oxygen‐Reduction and Ethanol‐Oxidation Electrocatalysts

The development of superior non‐platinum electrocatalysts for enhancing the electrocatalytic activity and stability for the oxygen‐reduction reaction (ORR) and liquid fuel oxidation reaction is very important for the commercialization of fuel cells, but still a great challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a new colloidal chemistry technique for making structurally ordered PdCu‐based nanoparticles (NPs) with composition control from PdCu to PdCuNi and PtCuCo. Under the dual tuning on the composition and intermetallic phase, the ordered PdCuCo NPs exhibit better activity and much enhanced stability for ORR and ethanol‐oxidation reaction (EOR) than those of disordered PdCuM NPs, the commercial Pt/C and Pd/C catalysts. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the improved ORR activity on the PdCuM NPs stems from the catalytically active hollow sites arising from the ligand effect and the compressive strain on the Pd surface owing to the smaller atomic size of Cu, Co, and Ni.     

核壳结构催化剂应用于质子交换膜燃料电池氧还原的研究进展

质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFCs）由于高比功率密度、高能量转换效率、环境友好和低温下快速启动等优点受到广泛关注,被认为是替代传统内燃机成为汽车动力的最理想能源转换装置。目前PEMFCs仍需较高载量的贵金属Pt作为电催化剂以保持转换效率,因此,开发低Pt量高活性的电催化剂对PEMFCs技术的商业化进程至关重要。核壳结构催化剂被证明是一种能有效降低电极Pt用量的策略,其既能通过结构优势提高贵金属Pt的利用率,又能通过电子或几何效应改善催化剂的催化活性和稳定性。本文首先简介了PEMFCs阴极氧还原反应（ORR）电催化剂构效关系的理论研究;其次综述了几种典型核壳结构电催化剂应用于ORR的研究进展;最后对ORR低Pt电催化剂的下一步研究方向作了展望。     

A General and High‐Yield Galvanic Displacement Approach to Au?M (M=Au,Pd, and Pt) Core–Shell Nanostructures with Porous Shells and Enhanced Electrocatalytic Performances

In this work, we utilize the galvanic displacement synthesis and make it a general and efficient method for the preparation of Au? M (M=Au, Pd, and Pt) core–shell nanostructures with porous shells, which consist of multilayer nanoparticles. The method is generally applicable to the preparation of Au? Au, Au? Pd, and Au? Pt core–shell nanostructures with typical porous shells. Moreover, the Au? Au isomeric core–shell nanostructure is reported for the first time. The lower oxidation states of Au^I, Pd^II, and Pt^II are supposed to contribute to the formation of porous core–shell nanostructures instead of yolk‐shell nanostructures. The electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance of porous Au? Pd core–shell nanostructures are assessed as a typical example for the investigation of the advantages of the obtained core–shell nanostructures. As expected, the Au? Pd core–shell nanostructure indeed exhibits a significantly reduced overpotential (the peak potential is shifted in the positive direction by 44 mV and 32 mV), a much improved CO tolerance (I_f/I_b is 3.6 and 1.63 times higher), and an enhanced catalytic stability in comparison with Pd nanoparticles and Pt/C catalysts. Thus, porous Au? M (M=Au, Pd, and Pt) core–shell nanostructures may provide many opportunities in the fields of organic catalysis, direct alcohol fuel cells, surface‐enhanced Raman scattering, and so forth.     

钯铂核壳纳米催化剂颗粒中的原子扩散

铂原子单层的核壳结构催化剂因其高效的铂原子利用率和优异铂质量活性而广泛应用于燃料电池领域.在该系列材料中,钯@铂核壳催化剂具有更优于纯铂的氧还原(ORR)催化活性,因而拥有较好的应用前景.但由于钯原子在热力学上更倾向于富集到材料表面,钯@铂核壳催化剂的催化稳定性及原子扩散的途径需要更深入的研究.本文探究了热处理条件对钯@铂核壳结构稳定性的破坏,并确定了原子扩散对催化活性的影响.原位扫描透射电子显微镜-电子能量损失谱(STEM-EELS)证明了在250 oC的氩气氛围中,钯@铂纳米颗粒中原本清晰可见的1–2原子铂壳层已经消失,并伴随着颗粒表面钯铂合金化的形成.因钯金属可以吸收氢气而导致晶格间距的展宽,钯@铂核壳结构的破坏也可以通过氢气氛围中的原位X射线衍射谱中(111)衍射峰的展宽和位移进行判断.对钯@铂核壳纳米催化剂进行一系列温度的热处理结果显示,核壳结构的破坏在200 oC左右开始,并于200–300 oC之间急剧发生.一氧化碳电化学氧化脱附实验表明,热处理之后的核壳催化剂表面的一氧化碳氧化峰位置发生了明显的正移,也证明了热处理之后催化剂表面电子结构的变化.核壳结构改变对催化活性的影响也通过旋转圆盘电极进行了测量.相比于未经处理的样品, 200 oC处理之后的钯@铂核壳催化剂在0.9 V电位处的质量活性损失了约37%.进一步提高热处理温度至300 oC之后,钯@铂核壳催化剂的质量活性只有初始状态的44%.本文揭示核壳结构中因热处理而导致的原子扩散现象,并为燃料电池中核壳催化剂的应用及膜电极的制备工艺条件提供了参考.     

Chemical Dealloying Mechanism of Bimetallic Pt–Co Nanoparticles and Enhancement of Catalytic Activity toward Oxygen Reduction

The chemical dealloying mechanism of bimetallic Pt–Co nanoparticles (NPs) and enhancement of their electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have been investigated on a fundamental level by the combination of X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Structural parameters, such as coordination numbers, alloy extent, and the unfilled d states of Pt atoms, are derived from the XAS spectra, together with the compositional variation analyzed by line‐scanning energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) on an atomic scale, to gain new insights into the dealloying process of bimetallic Pt–Co NPs. The XAS results on acid‐treated Pt–Co/C NPs reveal that the Co–Co bonding in the bimetallic NPs dissolves first and the remaining morphology gradually transforms to a Pt‐skin structure. From cyclic voltammetry and mass activity measurements, Pt–Co alloy NPs with a Pt‐skin structure significantly enhance the catalytic performance towards the ORR. Further, it is observed that such an imperfect Pt‐skin surface feature will collapse due to the penetration of electrolyte into layers underneath and cause further dissolution of Co and the loss of Pt. The electrocatalytic activity decreases accordingly, if the dealloying process lasts for 4 h. The findings not only demonstrate the importance of appropriate treatment of bimetallic catalysts, but also can be referred to other Pt bimetallic alloys with transition metals.     

Synthesis of CuCorePtShell Nanoparticles as Model Structures for Core–Shell Electrocatalysts by Direct Platinum Electrodeposition on Copper

The synthesis of Cu(core)Pt(shell) model catalysts by the direct electrochemical deposition of Pt on Cu particles is presented. Cu particles with an average diameter of 200 nm have been deposited on glassy‐carbon electrodes by double pulse electrodeposition from a copper sulfate solution. Subsequent deposition from a platinum nitrate solution under potential control allows for a high selectivity of the Pt deposition towards Cu. Using a combination of cyclic voltammetry, XPS and sputtering, the structure of the generated particles has been analyzed and their core–shell configuration proven. It is shown that the electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction is similar to that of other PtCu catalyst systems. The synthesized structures could allow for the analysis of structure–activity relations of core–shell catalysts on the way to the simple and controlled synthesis of supported Cu(core)Pt(shell) nanoparticles as oxygen reduction catalysts.     

Porous Ni@Pt Core‐Shell Nanotube Array Electrocatalyst with High Activity and Stability for Methanol Oxidation

Bimetallic core‐shell nanostructures are emerging as more important materials than monometallic nanostructures, and have much more interesting potential applications in various fields, including catalysis and electronics. In this work, we demonstrate the facile synthesis of core‐shell nanotube array catalysts consisting of Pt thin layers as the shells and Ni nanotubes as the cores. The porous Ni@Pt core‐shell nanotube arrays were fabricated by ZnO nanorod‐array template‐assisted electrodeposition, and they represent a new class of nanostructures with a high electrochemically active surface area of 50.08 m² (g Pt)^?1, which is close to the value of 59.44 m² (g Pt)^?1 for commercial Pt/C catalysts. The porous Ni@Pt core‐shell nanotube arrays also show markedly enhanced electrocatalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation compared with the commercial Pt/C catalysts. The attractive performances exhibited by these prepared porous Ni@Pt core‐shell nanotube arrays make them promising candidates as future high‐performance catalysts for methanol electrooxidation. The facile method described herein is suitable for large‐scale, low‐cost production, and significantly lowers the Pt loading, and thus, the cost of the catalysts.     

Facile Synthesis of Carbon‐Supported Ultrasmall Ag@Pd Core‐Shell Nanocrystals with Superior Electrocatalytic Activity for Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cell Application

To design electrocatalysts with excellent performance, morphology, composition and structure is a decisive influential factor. In this work, ultrasmall Ag@Pd core‐shell nanocrystals supported on Vulcan XC72R carbon with different Ag/Pd atomic ratios are synthesized via a facile successive reduction approach with formaldehyde and ethylene glycol as reducing agents, respectively. The Ag‐core/Pd‐shell nanostructures are revealed by high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Ag@Pd core‐shell nanocrystals possess a narrow size distribution with an average size of ca. 4.3 nm. In comparison to monometallic Pd/C and commercial Pd black catalysts, such Ag@Pd core‐shell nanocrystals display excellent electrocatalytic activities for formic acid oxidation, which may be due to high Pd utilization derived from the formation of Ag@Pd core‐shell nanostructure and the strong interaction between Ag and Pd.