Strain-Modulated Platinum-Palladium Nanowires for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Facile Synthesis of High-Entropy Alloy Nanowires for Electrocatalytic Alcohol Oxidation

Considering the structural and compositional advantages of high-entropy alloy (HEA) as high-efficient electrocatalysts, we here present a facile method to prepare high-entropy alloy nanowires with seven elements in an aqueous solution. The as-synthesized PdPtCuAgAuPbCo nanowires possess dispersed one-dimensional morphology and exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic performance with the mass activity of 9.9 A mgPd+Pt -1 toward ethanol electrooxidation. The HEA nanowires also perform superior stability, resistance to CO poisoning, and good electrocatalytic activities toward other alcohols (e. g., ethylene glycol and methanol) oxidation. The synthesis strategy is easy to operate with low cost and has wide application prospects for preparing desired electrocatalysts for fuel cells.

Hierarchical PtCuMnP Nanoalloy for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution and Methanol Oxidation

The higher amount of Pt usage and its poisoning in methanol oxidation reaction in acidic media is a major setback for methanol fuel cells. Herein, a promising dual application high-performance electrocatalyst has been developed for hydrogen evolution and methanol oxidation. A low Pt-content nanoalloy co-doped with Cu, Mn, and P is synthesized using a modified solvothermal process. Initially, ultrasmall ≈2.9 nm PtCuMnP nanoalloy is prepared on N-doped graphene-oxide support and subsequently, it is characterized using several analytical techniques and examined through electrochemical tests. Electrochemical results show that PtCuMnP/N-rGO has a low overpotential of 6.5 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 0.3 m H2 SO4 and high mass activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction. For the methanol oxidation reaction, the PtCuMnP/N-rGO electrocatalyst exhibits robust performance. The mass activity of PtCuMnP/N-rGO is 6.790 mA mg-1 Pt , which is 7.43 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C (20% Pt). Moreover, in the chronoamperometry test, PtCuMnP/N-rGO shows exceptionally good stability and retains 72% of the initial current density even after 20,000 cycles. Furthermore, the PtCuMnP/N-rGO electrocatalyst exhibits outstanding performance for hydrogen evolution and methanol oxidation along with excellent anti-poisoning ability. Hence, the developed bifunctional electrocatalyst can be used efficiently for hydrogen evolution and methanol oxidation.

Component-controlled synthesis of PdxSny nanocrystals on carbon nanotubes as advanced electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Pd-based bimetallic or multimetallic nanocrystals are considered to be potential electrocatalysts for cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. Although much advance has been made, the synthesis of component-controlled Pd-Sn alloy nanocrystals or corresponding nanohybrids is still challenging, and the electrocatalytic ORR properties are not fully explored. Herein, component-controlled synthesis of PdxSny nanocrystals (including Pd3Sn, Pd2Sn, Pd3Sn2, and PdSn) has been realized, which are in situ grown or deposited on pre-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to form well-coupled nanohybrids (NHs) by a facile one-pot non-hydrolytic system thermolysis method. In alkaline media, all the resultant PdxSny/CNTs NHs are effective at catalyzing ORR. Among them, the Pd3Sn/CNTs NHs exhibit the best catalytic activity with the half-wave potential of 0.85 V (vs. RHE), good cyclic stability, and excellent methanol-tolerant capability due to the suited Pd-Sn alloy component and its strong interaction or efficient electronic coupling with CNTs. This work is conducive to the advancement of Pd-based nanoalloy catalysts by combining component engineering and a hybridization strategy and promoting their application in clean energy devices.

Interface Engineering and Boron Modification of Pd-B/Pd Hetero-Metallene Synergistically Accelerate Oxygen Reduction Catalysis

2D metallene possess high surface area and excellent electron transport capability, thus enabling efficient application in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the interface regulation and electronic structure optimization of metallene are still great challenges. Herein, Pd-B/Pd hetero-metallene is constructed by interface engineering and B modification strategies for efficient electrocatalytic ORR. The 2D configuration of Pd-B/Pd hetero-metallene exposes a large number of surface atoms and unsaturated defect sites, thus providing abundant catalytic active sites and exhibiting high electron mobility. More importantly, interface engineering and B modification synergistically optimizing the electronic configuration of the metallene system. This work not only provides an effective strategy for the rational regulation of the electronic configuration of metallene, but also offers a reference for the construction of efficient ORR catalysts.

Recent progress on the synthesis of metal alloy nanowires as electrocatalysts

Benefiting from both one-dimensional (1D) morphology and alloy composition, metal alloy nanowires have been exploited as advanced electrocatalysts in various electrochemical processes. In this review, the synthesis approaches for metal alloy nanowires are classified into two categories: direct syntheses and syntheses based on preformed 1D nanostructures. Ligand systems that are of critical importance to the formation of alloy nanowires are summarized and reviewed, together with the strategies imposed to achieve the co-reduction of different metals. Meanwhile, different scenarios that form alloy nanowires from pre-synthesized 1D nanostructures are compared and contrasted. In addition, the characterization and electrocatalytic applications of metal alloy nanowires are briefly discussed.

Functional Surfactant-Induced Long-Range Compressive Strain in Curved Ultrathin Nanodendrites Boosts Electrocatalysis

Curved ultrathin PtPd nanodendrites (CNDs) with long-range compressive strain and highly branched feature are first prepared by a functional surfactant-induced strategy. Precise synthesis realized the construction of both curved and flat PtPd nanodendrites (NDs) with the same atomic ratio, which contributed to exploration of the strain effect on electrocatalytic performance alone. Abundant evidence is provided to confirm that the long-range compressive strain in curved PtPd architectures can effectively tailor the local coordination environment of active sites, lower the position of the d-band center, weaken the adsorption energy of the intermediates (e.g., H* and CO*), and ultimately increase their intrinsic activity. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations further reveal that the introduction of compressive strain weakens the Gibbs free-energy of the intermediate (ΔG_H*), which is favorable for accelerating the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. A similar enhanced electrocatalytic performance can also be found in the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR).

Platinum-Cobalt Nanowires for Efficient Alcohol Oxidation Electrocatalysis

The compositions and surface facets of platinum (Pt)-based electrocatalysts are of great significance for the development of direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs). We reported an approach for preparing ultrathin Pt_nCo_100-n nanowire (NW) catalysts with high activity. The Pt_nCo_100-n NW alloy catalysts synthesized by single-phase surfactant-free synthesis have adjustable compositions and (111) plane and strain lattices. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that the alloy composition can adjust the lattice shrinkage or expansion of Pt_nCo_100-n NWs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show that the electron structure of Pt is changed by the alloying effect caused by electron modulation in the d band, and the chemical adsorption strength of Pt is decreased, thus the catalytic activity of Pt is increased. The experimental results show that the activity of Pt_nCo_100-n for the oxidation of methanol and ethanol is related to the exposed crystal surface, strain lattice and composition of catalysts. The Pt_nCo_100-n NWs exhibit stronger electrocatalytic performance for both methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). The dominant (111) plane Pt₅₃Co₄₇ exhibits the highest electrocatalytic activity in MOR, which is supported by the results of XPS. This discovery provides a new pathway to design high activity, stability nanocatalysts to enhance direct alcohol fuel cells.

Review of High Entropy Alloys Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution, Oxygen Evolution, and Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Recently, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have been extensively investigated due to their unique structural design, superior stability, excellent functional feature and superior mechanical performance. However, most of the reported HEAs focus on studying the compositional design and microstructure and mechanical properties of materials. There are relatively few studies on electrochemical performance and theoretical studies of HEAs. In addition, the potential applications of HEAs as energy storage materials for electrocatalysts have attracted widely attention in the development and application aspects of electrocatalysis. It can be attributed to their high conductivity, excellent structural stability and superior electrocatalytic activities with small overpotential and abundant active sites, which is comparable to the commercial noble metal catalysts. In this review, firstly, we briefly discuss the concept and structure characteristics of high entropy alloys. Then, the research progress of high-entropy alloys as electrocatalysis are also summarized, including hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), respectively. Finally, the future development trend of HEAs is also prospected for energy conversion fields.

Designer-length palladium nanowires can be templated by the central channel of tobacco mosaic virus nanorods

We have developed methods for the templated synthesis of palladium nanowires (Pd NWs) within the central channel of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) nanorods of various lengths. We show that uniform 4 nm diameter Pd NWs can be produced by selective growth within these channels by including the capping reagent, poly(vinyl-pyrrolidone) (PVP30K) and reducing the metal precursor to metallic palladium with ascorbic acid. The length of the Pd NWs can be controlled either by varying the length of the nanorod templates and/or through alterations to the reaction conditions. We have also demonstrated bimetallic gold (Au)-palladium (Pd) in-situ metallization of TMV nanorods resulting in the production of Pd NWs 6 nm gold nanoparticles attached to their ends. The materials produced have many potential applications in the construction of nanoscale devices.

Pt Atomic Layers with Tensile Strain and Rich Defects Boost Ethanol Electrooxidation

Surface and strain engineering are two effective strategies to improve performance; however, synergetic controls of surface and strain effects remains a grand challenge. Herein, we report a highly efficient and stable electrocatalyst with defect-rich Pt atomic layers coating an ordered Pt₃Sn intermetallic core. Pt atomic layers enable the generation of 4.4% tensile strain along the [001] direction. Benefiting from synergetic controls of surface and strain engineering, Pt atomic-layer catalyst (Pt_atomic-layer) achieves a remarkable enhancement on ethanol electrooxidation performance with excellent specific activity of 5.83 mA cm^-2 and mass activity of 1166.6 mA mg _Pt^-1, which is 10.6 and 3.6 times higher than the commercial Pt/C, respectively. Moreover, the intermetallic core endows Pt_atomic-layer with outstanding durability. In situ infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy as well as density functional theory calculations reveal that tensile strain and rich defects of Pt_atomci-layer facilitate to break C-C bond for complete ethanol oxidation for enhanced performance.

Strained Lattice Gold-Copper Alloy Nanoparticles for Efficient Carbon Dioxide Electroreduction

Electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into specific renewable fuels is an attractive way to mitigate the greenhouse effect and solve the energy crisis. AunCu100-n/C alloy nanoparticles (AunCu100−n/C NPs) with tunable compositions, a highly active crystal plane and a strained lattice were synthesized by the thermal solvent co-reduction method. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that AunCu100−n/C catalysts display a subtle lattice strain and dominant (111) crystal plane, which can be adjusted by the alloy composition. Electrochemical results show that AunCu100−n/C alloy catalysts for CO2 reduction display high catalytic activity; in particular, the Faradaic efficiency of Au75Cu25/C is up to 92.6% for CO at −0.7 V (vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode), which is related to lattice shrinkage and the active facet. This research provides a new strategy with which to design strong and active nanoalloy catalysts with lattice mismatch and main active surfaces for CO2 reduction reaction.

Facile Synthesis of Surfactant-Induced Platinum Nanospheres with a Porous Network Structure for Highly Effective Oxygen Reduction Catalysis

Developing a facile and eco-friendly method for the large-scale synthesis of the highly active and stable catalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is very important for the practical application of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this paper, a mild aqueous-solution route has been successfully developed for the gram-scale synthesis of three-dimensional porous Pt nanospheres (Pt-NSs) that are composed of network-structured nanodendrites and/or oval multipods. In comparison with the commercial Pt/C catalyst, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrates the dominant metallic-state of Pt and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) indicates the substantial improvement of conductivity for the Pt-NSs/C catalyst. The surfactant-induced porous network nanostructure improves both the catalytic ORR activity and durability. The optimal Pt-NSs/C catalyst exhibits a half-wave potential of 0.898 V (vs. RHE), leading to the mass activity of 0.18 A mgPt-1 and specific activity of 0.68 mA cm-2 which are respectively 1.9 and 5.7 times greater than those of Pt/C. Moreover, the highly-active Pt-NSs/C catalyst shows a superior stability with the tenable morphology and the retained 78% of initial mass activity rather than the severe Pt aggregation and the only 58% retention of the commercial Pt/C catalyst after 10000 cycles.

Successful Manufacturing Protocols of N-Rich Carbon Electrodes Ensuring High ORR Activity: A Review

The exploration and development of different carbon nanomaterials happening over the past years have established carbon electrodes as an important electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. Metal-free catalysts are especially promising potential alternatives for replacing Pt-based catalysts. This article describes recent advances and challenges in the three main synthesis manners (i.e., pyrolysis, hydrothermal method, and chemical vapor deposition) as effective methods for the production of metal-free carbon-based catalysts. To improve the catalytic activity, heteroatom doping the structure of graphene, carbon nanotubes, porous carbons, and carbon nanofibers is important and makes them a prospective candidate for commercial applications. Special attention is paid to providing an overview on the recent major works about nitrogen-doped carbon electrodes with various concentrations and chemical environments of the heteroatom active sites. A detailed discussion and summary of catalytic properties in aqueous electrolytes is given for graphene and porous carbon-based catalysts in particular, including recent studies performed in the authors’ research group. Finally, we discuss pathways and development opportunities approaching the practical use of mainly graphene-based catalysts for metal–air batteries and fuel cells.

Ultrafine platinum nanoparticles supported on N,S-codoped porous carbon nanofibers as efficient multifunctional materials for noticeable oxygen reduction reaction and water splitting performance

The design of highly active, stable and durable platinum-based electrocatalysts towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and hydrogen adsorption has a high and urgent demand in fuel cells, water splitting and hydrogen storage. Herein, ultrafine platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) supported on N,S-codoped porous carbon nanofibers (Pt-N,S-pCNFs) hybrids were prepared through the electrospinning method coupled with hydrothermal and carbonation processes. The ultrafine Pt NPs are sufficiently dispersed and loaded on pCNFs and codoped with N and S, which can improve oxygen adsorption, afford more active sites, and greatly enhance electron mobility. The Pt-N,S-pCNFs hybrid achieves excellent activity and stability for ORR with ∼70 mV positive shift of onset potential compared to the commercial Pt/C-20 wt% electrocatalyst. The long-term catalytic durability with 89.5% current retention after a 10 000 s test indicates its remarkable ORR behavior. Pt-N,S-pCNFs also exhibits excellent HER and OER performance, and can be used as an efficient catalyst for water splitting. In addition, Pt-N,S-pCNFs exhibits an excellent hydrogen storage capacity of 0.76 wt% at 20 °C and 10 MPa. This work provides novel design strategies for the development of multifunctional materials as high-performance ORR catalysts, water splitting electrocatalysts and hydrogen storage materials.

Modulating the intrinsic properties of platinum–cobalt nanowires for enhanced electrocatalysis of the oxygen reduction reaction

The ability to improve the intrinsic activity of nanoalloy electrocatalysts is essential for designing highly efficient electrocatalysts by optimizing the basic physical properties of the nanoalloy.

Regulating the lattice strain of platinum–copper catalysts for enhancing collaborative electrocatalysis

PtnCu100−n alloy nanostellates showed the high catalytic activity for both the oxygen reduction and alcohol oxidation reactions.

Ordered PtFeIr Intermetallic Nanowires Prepared through a Silica-Protection Strategy for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Developing efficient and stable Pt-based oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts is a way to promote the large-scale application of fuel cells. Pt-based alloy nanowires are promising ORR catalysts, but their application is hampered by activity loss caused by structural destruction during long-term cycling. Herein, the preparation of ordered PtFeIr intermetallic nanowire catalysts with an average diameter of 2.6 nm and face-centered tetragonal structure (fct-PtFeIr/C) is reported. A silica-protected strategy prevents the deformation of PtFeIr nanowires during the phase transition at high temperature. The as-prepared fct-PtFeIr/C exhibited superior mass activity for ORR (2.03 A mg_Pt ^-1 ) than disordered PtFeIr nanowires with face-centered cubic structure (1.11 A mg_Pt ^-1 ) and commercial Pt/C (0.21 A mg_Pt ^-1 ). Importantly, the structure and electrochemical performance of fct-PtFeIr/C were maintained after stability tests, showing the advantages of the ordered structure.

Recent Advances in Electrocatalysts for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cells

The rapid progress of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and alkaline exchange membrane fuel cells (AMFCs) has boosted the hydrogen economy concept via diverse energy applications in the past decades. For a holistic understanding of the development status of PEMFCs and AMFCs, recent advancements in electrocatalyst design and catalyst layer optimization, along with cell performance in terms of activity and durability in PEMFCs and AMFCs, are summarized here. The activity, stability, and fuel cell performance of different types of electrocatalysts for both oxygen reduction reaction and hydrogen oxidation reaction are discussed and compared. Research directions on the further development of active, stable, and low-cost electrocatalysts to meet the ultimate commercialization of PEMFCs and AMFCs are also discussed.

Highly Enhanced Electrocatalytic Performances with Dendritic Bimetallic Palladium-Based Nanocrystals

The exploration of efficient nanocatalysts with high activity and stability towards water electrolysis and fuel cell applications is extremely important for the advancement of electrochemical reactions. However, it remains challenging. Controlling the morphology of bimetallic Pd–Pt nanostructures can be a great way to improve their electrocatalytic properties compared with previously developed catalysts. Herein, we synthesize bimetallic Pd–Pt nanodendrites, which consist of a dense matrix of unsaturated coordination atoms and high porosity. The concentration of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride was significant for the morphology and size of the Pd–Pt nanodendrites. Pd–Pt nanodendrites prepared by cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (200 mM) showed higher activities towards both the hydrogen evolution reaction and methanol oxidation reaction compared to their different Pd–Pt nanodendrite counterparts, commercial Pd, and Pt catalysts, which was attributed to numerous unsaturated surface atoms in well-developed single branches.

Size-Selective Sub-micrometer-Particle Confinement Utilizing Ionic Entropy-Directed Trapping in Inscribed Nanovoid Patterns

We have developed a single-step, high-throughput methodology to selectively confine sub-micrometer particles of a specific size into sequentially inscribed nanovoid patterns by utilizing electrostatic and entropic particle-void interactions in an ionic solution. The nanovoid patterns can be rendered positively charged by coating with an aluminum oxide layer, which can then localize negatively charged particles of a specific size into ordered arrays defined by the nanovoid topography. On the basis of the Poisson-Boltzmann model, the size-selective localization of particles in the voids is directed by the interplay between particle-nanovoid geometry, electrostatic interactions, and ionic entropy change induced by charge regulation in the electrical double layer overlapping region. The underlying principle and developed method could potentially be extended to size-selective trapping, separation, and patterning of many other objects including biological structures.

Design of Highly Durable Core-Shell Catalysts by Controlling Shell Distribution Guided by In-Situ Corrosion Study

Most degradations in electrocatalysis are caused by corrosion in operation, for example the corrosion of the core in a core-shell electrocatalyst during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, according to the in-situ study on nanoscale corrosion kinetics via liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LC-TEM) in the authors' previous work, they sequentially designed an optimized nanocube with the protection of more layers on the corners by adjusting the Pt atom distribution on corners and terraces. This modified nanocube (MNC) is much more corrosion resistant in the in-situ observation. Furthermore, in the practical electrochemical stability testing, the MNC catalyst also showed the best stability performance with the 0.37% and 9.01% loss in specific and mass activity after 30 000 cycles accelerated durability test (ADT). This work also demonstrates that how an in-situ study can guide the design of desired materials with improved properties and build a bridge between in-situ study and practical application.

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.

CO oxidation over defective and nonmetal doped MoS2monolayers

Defective (missing S atoms) and nonmetal (C- and N-) doped MoS₂monolayers in the 2H and 1T' phases have been evaluated for catalyzing CO oxidation based on first-principles calculations. For the reaction 2CO + O₂→ 2CO₂, the oxidization of the first CO molecule is fairly easy and sometimes is even spontaneous, as the O₂ molecule is highly activated or dissociates upon adsorption. However, for the defective (2H-), C-doped (1T'-), and N-doped (2H- and 1T'-) MoS₂monolayers, the remaining O^*adatom often refuses to react with other CO molecules and is hard to be removed (barrier > 1.20 eV). Only when over the C-doped 2H- and defective 1T'-MoS₂monolayers, the removal of the second O^*adatom requires to overcome moderate barriers (0.74 and 0.88 eV, respectively) by reacting with another CO molecule via the Eley-Rideal mechanism and the catalysts are recovered. The barriers can be further reduced by applying either tensile or compressive strain to the MoS₂nanosheet. In contrast, the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism is followed over the metal-containing MoS₂nanosheets, as the bigger size of metal dopants allow the co-adsorption of CO and O₂. Therefore, the C-doped 2H- and defective 1T'-MoS₂monolayers are promising nonmetal-doped catalysts for CO oxidation.

Template-Directed Rapid Synthesis of Pd-Based Ultrathin Porous Intermetallic Nanosheets for Efficient Oxygen Reduction

Atomically ordered intermetallic nanoparticles exhibit improved catalytic activity and durability relative to random alloy counterparts. However, conventional methods with time-consuming and high-temperature syntheses only have rudimentary capability in controlling the structure of intermetallic nanoparticles, hindering advances of intermetallic nanocatalysts. We report a template-directed strategy for rapid synthesis of Pd-based (PdM, M=Pb, Sn and Cd) ultrathin porous intermetallic nanosheets (UPINs) with tunable sizes. This strategy uses preformed seeds, which act as the template to control the deposition of foreign atoms and the subsequent interatomic diffusion. Using the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as a model reaction, the as-synthesized Pd₃ Pb UPINs exhibit superior activity, durability, and methanol tolerance. The favored geometrical structure and interatomic interaction between Pd and Pb in Pd₃ Pb UPINs are concluded to account for the enhanced ORR performance.

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.

Hydrogen production from water electrolysis: role of catalysts

As a promising substitute for fossil fuels, hydrogen has emerged as a clean and renewable energy. A key challenge is the efficient production of hydrogen to meet the commercial-scale demand of hydrogen. Water splitting electrolysis is a promising pathway to achieve the efficient hydrogen production in terms of energy conversion and storage in which catalysis or electrocatalysis plays a critical role. The development of active, stable, and low-cost catalysts or electrocatalysts is an essential prerequisite for achieving the desired electrocatalytic hydrogen production from water splitting for practical use, which constitutes the central focus of this review. It will start with an introduction of the water splitting performance evaluation of various electrocatalysts in terms of activity, stability, and efficiency. This will be followed by outlining current knowledge on the two half-cell reactions, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), in terms of reaction mechanisms in alkaline and acidic media. Recent advances in the design and preparation of nanostructured noble-metal and non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts will be discussed. New strategies and insights in exploring the synergistic structure, morphology, composition, and active sites of the nanostructured electrocatalysts for increasing the electrocatalytic activity and stability in HER and OER will be highlighted. Finally, future challenges and perspectives in the design of active and robust electrocatalysts for HER and OER towards efficient production of hydrogen from water splitting electrolysis will also be outlined.

Dynamic Core-Shell and Alloy Structures of Multimetallic Nanomaterials and Their Catalytic Synergies

ConspectusMultimetallic nanomaterials containing noble metals (NM) and non-noble 3d-transition metals (3d-TMs) exhibit unique catalytic properties as a result of the synergistic combination of NMs and 3d-TMs in the nanostructure. The exploration of such a synergy depends heavily on the understanding of the atomic-scale structural details of NMs and 3d-TMs in the nanomaterials. This has attracted a great deal of recent interest in the field of catalysis science, especially concerning the core-shell and alloy nanostructures. A rarely asked question of fundamental significance is how the core-shell and alloy structural arrangements of atoms in the multimetallic nanomaterials dynamically change under reaction conditions, including reaction temperature, surface adsorbate, chemical environment, applied electrochemical potential, etc. The dynamic evolution of the core-shell/alloy structures under the reaction conditions plays a crucial role in the catalytic performance of the multimetallic nanocatalysts.This Account focuses on the dynamic structure characteristics for several different types of composition-tunable alloy and core-shell nanomaterials, including phase-segregated, elemental-enriched, dynamically evolved, and structurally different core-shell structures. In addition to outlining core-shell/alloy structure formation via processes such as seed-mediated growth, thermochemical calcination, adsorbate-induced evolution, chemical dealloying, underpotential deposition/galvanic displacement, etc., this Account will highlight the progress in understanding the dynamic core-shell/alloy structures under chemical or catalytic reaction conditions, which has become an important focal point of the research fronts in catalysis and electrocatalysis. The employment of advanced techniques, especially in situ/operando synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction and pair distribution function analyses, has provided significant insights into the dynamic evolution processes of NM/3d-TM nanocatalysts under electrocatalytic or fuel cell operating conditions. Examples will highlight Pt- or Pd-based nanoparticles and nanowires alloyed with various 3d-TMs with a focus on their structural evolution under reaction conditions. While the dynamic process is complex, the ability to gain an insight into the evolution of core-shell and alloy structures under the catalytic reaction condition is essential for advancing the design of multimetallic nanocatalysts. This Account serves as a springboard from fundamental understanding of the core-shell and alloy structural dynamics to the various applications of nanostructured catalysts/electrocatalysts, especially in the fronts of energy and environmental sustainability.

Atomic-Level Manipulations in Oxides and Alloys for Electrocatalysis of Oxygen Evolution and Reduction

As chemical reactions and charge-transfer simultaneously occur on the catalyst surface during electrocatalysis, numerous studies have been carried out to attain an in-depth understanding on the correlation among the surface structure and composition, the electrical transport, and the overall catalytic activity. Compared with other catalysis reactions, a relatively larger activation barrier for oxygen evolution/reduction reactions (OER/ORR), where multiple electron transfers are involved, is noted. Many works over the past decade thus have been focused on the atomic-scale control of the surface structure and the precise identification of surface composition change in catalyst materials to achieve better conversion efficiency. In particular, recent advances in various analytical tools have enabled noteworthy findings of unexpected catalytic features at atomic resolution, providing significant insights toward reducing the activation barriers and subsequently improving the catalytic performance. In addition to summarizing important surface issues, including lattice defects, related to the OER and ORR in this Review, we present the current status and discuss future perspectives of oxide- and alloy-based catalysts in terms of atomic-scale observation and manipulation.

Engineering of Coordination Environment and Multiscale Structure in Single-Site Copper Catalyst for Superior Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction

Herein, we report efficient single copper atom catalysts that consist of dense atomic Cu sites dispersed on a three-dimensional carbon matrix with highly enhanced mesoporous structures and improved active site accessibility (Cu-SA/NC(meso)). The ratio of +1 to +2 oxidation state of the Cu sites in the Cu-SA/NC(meso) catalysts can be controlled by varying the urea content in the adsorption precursor, and the activity for ORR increases with the addition of Cu¹⁺ sites. The optimal Cu¹⁺-SA/NC(meso)-7 catalyst with highly accessible Cu¹⁺ sites exhibits superior ORR activity in alkaline media with a half-wave potential (E_1/2) of 0.898 V vs RHE, significantly exceeding the commercial Pt/C, along with high durability and enhanced methanol tolerance. Control experiments and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the superior ORR catalytic performance of Cu¹⁺-SA/NC(meso)-7 catalyst is attributed to the atomically dispersed Cu¹⁺ sites in catalyzing the reaction and the advantage of the introduced mesoporous structure in enhancing the mass transport.

Platinum–palladium alloy nanotetrahedra with tuneable lattice-strain for enhanced intrinsic activity

Understanding how to regulate lattice strain of PtPd NTDs and the correlation of PtPd NTDs between the compositions, tuneable lattice strain and the electrocatalytic properties.