Wet chemical synthesis of intermetallic Pt₃Zn nanocrystals via weak reduction reaction together with UPD process and their excellent electrocatalytic performances

Abstract

Platinum based alloy nanocrystals are promising catalysts for a variety of important practical process. However, it remains a great challenge to synthesize platinum-based intermetallic compound nanocrystals with well-defined surface structures. In this communication, taking the synthesis of concave cubic intermetallic Pt3Zn nanocrystals with {hk0} facets as an example, we proposed a new synthesis strategy for intermetallic compounds by reduction of noble metal precursors via a slow reduction process and reduction of transition metal ions via an underpotential deposition (UPD) process in wet chemical synthesis. The as-prepared intermetallic Pt3Zn nanocrystals exhibited superior CO poisoning tolerance and high electro-catalytic activity in both methanol and formic acid oxidation reactions in comparison with solid solution Pt3Zn nanocrystals and Pt/C.

Excavated Cubic Platinum–Tin Alloy Nanocrystals Constructed from Ultrathin Nanosheets with Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity

“…[18,19] For these concave cubes with different highindex {hk0} facets, the concavity angles differed, but they were far smaller than 458 (e.g., 318 for {530}, 268 for {210}, and 228 for {520} facets; see Table S1). [20,21] Therefore, the presented cubic NCs do not simply have a common concave structure with {hk0} high-index facets but an excavated structure with {110} facets (Figure 1e 1 , f 1 ).The excavated cubic structure of the as-prepared NCs was further confirmed by analyzing TEM images recorded in other orientations. As shown in Figure 1c 2 -f 2 , in the case of the [011] zone axis, the angle between the internal profile of the projected concave nanocrystal and its external profile is 358, which is in perfect agreement with that of the corresponding model and the perspective projected along the same direction.…”

Kinetically Controlling Surface Structure to Construct Defect‐Rich Intermetallic Nanocrystals: Effective and Stable Catalysts

“…[ 10 ] Constructing surface defects may endow the intermetallic materials high catalytic activity while keeping their structure stability. [ 11 ] However, it remains an open challenge to synthesize stable catalyst with defect-rich surface structures.…”

Nanomagnetic CoPt truncated octahedrons: facile synthesis, superior electrocatalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation

“…3d, the onset of CO stripping on CoPt TONPs (0.44 V) is lower than that on CoPt ANPs and standard commercial Pt/C, which are 0.50 and 0.54 V, respectively. Meanwhile, the corresponding CO oxidation peak of CoPt TONPs, CoPt ANPs and commercial Pt/C are also positively shifted from 0.50 to 0.61 V. These results suggest that the CoPt TONPs have the efficient CO removal ability, which might arise mainly from the optimum geometric, ligand effect between Co and Pt, which alters the electronic structure of Pt [26,44].…”