Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 14, 2025
Activating Molecules, Ions, and Solid Particles with Acoustic Cavitation
Published on: April 11, 2014
In situ surface reduction for accessing atomically dispersed platinum on carbon sheets for acidic hydrogen evolution
Weiwei Quan1,2,3, Xinglin Ruan4, Yingbin Lin1,2,3
1Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Manipulation and New Energy Materials, College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350117, China. hyy@fjnu.edu.cn.
Atomically dispersed platinum catalysts synthesized on defective carbon sheets show excellent performance for acidic water splitting. This cost-effective material offers high activity and durability for clean hydrogen production.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Harvesting clean hydrogen via electrochemical water splitting requires efficient catalysts.
- Atomically dispersed platinum (Pt) catalysts are highly sought after for their catalytic potential.
- Controlling the synthesis of atomically dispersed Pt remains a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a simple and controlled method for synthesizing atomically dispersed Pt catalysts.
- To investigate the catalytic performance and durability of these catalysts for acidic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
- To elucidate the mechanism underlying the enhanced HER activity.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of defective carbon sheets via KOH etching.
- In situ surface reduction of Pt(IV) ions on the defective carbon substrate to form atomically dispersed Pt.
- Physical characterization (e.g., electron microscopy, spectroscopy) and electrochemical testing (e.g., cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry).
Main Results:
- Successfully prepared atomically dispersed Pt on defective carbon sheets with strong substrate-Pt interactions.
- The Pt catalyst demonstrated high HER performance in sulfuric acid, with a low overpotential of 55 mV at 100 mA cm-2.
- Exhibited superior catalytic durability compared to commercial Pt/C, attributed to the Volmer-Tafel mechanism and optimized surface.
Conclusions:
- The developed method provides a viable route for synthesizing highly active and durable atomically dispersed Pt catalysts.
- The catalyst shows significant promise for efficient and cost-effective hydrogen production in acidic media.
- Full utilization of Pt atoms and optimized surface properties are key to enhanced HER performance.
Related Concept Videos
02:13Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the...
02:17Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
02:24Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Like alkenes, alkynes can be reduced to alkanes in the presence of transition metal catalysts such as Pt, Pd, or Ni. The reaction involves two sequential syn additions of hydrogen via a cis-alkene intermediate.