High electrocatalytic performance inspired by crystalline/amorphous interface in PtPb nanoplate.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Core-shell nanoscale platinum-lead (PtPb) catalysts are known for high catalytic activity.
• Developing novel catalyst structures is crucial for improving electrochemical reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a new PtPb nanoplate (NP) catalyst structure using ion irradiation.
• To investigate the enhanced catalytic performance of the modified PtPb NPs for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR).

Main Methods:

• Synthesized PtPb NPs and modified their structure using ion irradiation.
• Characterized the catalyst structure, focusing on the crystalline-amorphous interface.
• Evaluated catalytic activity for MOR using electrochemical methods.
• Employed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to understand the mechanism.

Main Results:

• A novel PtPb NP structure with an annular crystalline-amorphous interface was successfully created.
• The modified PtPb NPs exhibited significantly enhanced specific activity (4.32 mA cm⁻²) and mass activity (1.31 A mg⁻¹) for MOR, surpassing original NPs by 1.9-fold and 1.4-fold, respectively.
• DFT calculations confirmed that the interface activates key bonds and optimizes intermediate adsorption for efficient oxidation.

Conclusions:

• The ion irradiation-induced crystalline-amorphous interface in PtPb NPs is key to superior MOR electrocatalytic activity.
• This novel structure and interface engineering approach offers a new pathway for designing advanced electrocatalysts.
• The findings highlight the potential of controlled structural modification for enhancing catalyst performance.