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Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production
Published on: December 6, 2021
Single-Molecule Nanocatalysis Shows In Situ Deactivation of Pt/C Electrocatalysts during the Hydrogen-Oxidation
Yuwei Zhang1,2, Tao Chen1,2,3, Shaun Alia4
1State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, P.R. China.
Abstract:
By coupling a Pt-catalyzed fluorogenic reaction with the Pt-electrocatalyzed hydrogen-oxidation reaction (HOR), we combine single-molecule fluorescence microscopy with traditional electrochemical methods to study the real-time deactivation kinetics of a Pt/C electrocatalyst at single-particle level during electrocatalytic hydrogen-oxidation reaction. The decay of the catalytic performance of Pt/C could be mainly attributed to the electrocatalysis-induced etching or dissolution of Pt nanoparticles. Spontaneous regeneration of activity and incubation period of the Pt electrocatalyst were also observed at single-particle level. All these new insights are practically useful for the understanding and rational design of highly efficient electrocatalysts for application in fuel cells.
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