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Updated: Sep 8, 2025

Synthesis of Platinum-nickel Nanowires and Optimization for Oxygen Reduction Performance
Published on: April 27, 2018
Platinum-Ruthenium Single Atom Alloy as a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst toward Methanol and Hydrogen Oxidation
Ligang Chen1,2, Xin Liang1, Dingsheng Wang3
1State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing Advanced Innovation Centre for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
Abstract:
The precise regulation for the structural properties of nanomaterials at the atomic scale is an effective strategy to develop high-performance catalysts. Herein, a facile dual-regulation approach was developed to successfully synthesize Ru1Ptn single atom alloy (SAA) with atomic Ru dispersed in Pt nanocrystals. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray absorption fine structure demonstrated that Ru atoms were dispersed in Pt nanocrystals as single atoms. Impressively, the Ru1Ptn-SAA exhibited an ultrahigh specific activity (23.59 mA cm-2) and mass activity (2.805 mA/μg-PtRu) for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and exhibited excellent exchange current density activity (1.992 mA cm-2) and mass activity (4.71 mA/μg-PtRu) for hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). Density functional theory calculations revealed that the introduction of Ru atoms greatly reduced the reaction free energy for the decomposition of water molecules, which promoted the removal of CO* in the MOR process and adjusted the Gibbs free energy of hydrogen and hydroxyl adsorption to promote the HOR. Our work provided an effective idea for the development of high performance electrocatalysts.
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