Correlation between surface chemistry and electrocatalytic properties of monodisperse PtxNi1-x nanoparticles

Monodisperse and homogeneous PtxNi1-x alloy nanoparticles of various compositions are synthesized via an organic solution approach in order to reveal the correlation between surface chemistry and their electrocatalytic properties. Atomic-level microscopic analysis of the compositional profile and modeling of nanoparticle structure are combined to follow the dependence of Ni dissolution on the initial alloy composition and formation of the Pt-skeleton nanostructures. The developed approach and acquired knowledge about surface structure-property correlation can be further generalized and applied towards the design of advanced functional nanomaterials. Monodisperse and homogeneous Pt-Ni alloy nanoparticles of various compositions are synthesized via an organic solution approach, and applied as catalysts for electrocatalytic reduction of oxygen. By combining atomic-level microscopic analysis of composition profile and modeling of nanoparticle structure, a clear picture of the dependence of Ni dissolution from the near-surface region on the initial alloy composition is illustrated. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Duke Scholars

Author Miaofang Chi Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materia ...