Bimetallic alloys in action: dynamic atomistic motifs for electrochemistry and catalysis

Bimetallic alloys show great promise for applications in a wide range of technologies related to electrochemistry and heterogeneous catalysis. The alloyed nature of these materials supports the existence of surface phenomena and structural motifs not present in single-component materials. These novel features result in electrochemical and catalytic behaviors, requiring entirely new categories of explanations. In this perspective concrete examples are used to illustrate several of these chemical and structural features, which are unique to multi-component metal surfaces. The influence of the surface's structure and surroundings (e.g. adsorbates) on each other provides a common thread, with the emergence of dynamic surfaces as its terminus. In considering three model systems (PtRu, PtNi and AuPd), we discuss not only a selection of surface phenomena relevant to each, but also the implications of these alloy-related behaviors for the electrochemical and catalytic properties of each surface.