Bio-assisted Synthesis of Au/Rh Nanostructure Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution and Methanol Oxidation Reactions: Composition Matters!

Abstract

In the field of catalysis, bimetallic nanostructures have attracted much interest. Here, we discuss the effect of Au/Rh bimetallic composition-tuned nanostructure and electrocatalytic activity. A simple bio-assisted technique was used to fabricate multiple Au:Rh nanoplate ratios (25:75, 50:50, and 75:25). XRD and XPS studies show that both Au and Rh phases coexist in a bimetallic nanostructure, and electron microscopy confirms the formation of a triangle-shaped nanoplate. Au0.25Rh0.75 exhibited the maximum catalytic activity and good stability for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with an overpotential of 105 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm2. On the other hand, Au0.50Rh0.50 exhibits a higher activity for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) compared to the other compositions. Theoretical studies indicate that the electrocatalytic enhancement obtained for both HER and MOR relies on electronic modification effects of the surface, with the overall reaction energy profile being optimized due to Au/Rh d-band mixing.