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Synthesis of Bimetallic Pt/Sn-based Nanoparticles in Ionic Liquids
Published on: August 23, 2018
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Pt3Sn nanoparticles enriched with SnO2/Pt3Sn interfaces for highly efficient alcohol electrooxidation.
Zichen Wang1, Liang Wang1, Wangbin Zhu1
1College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University Fuzhou 350108 Fujian China niancaicheng@fzu.edu.cn.
Nanoscale Advances
|September 22, 2022
Summary
New Pt3Sn@u-SnO2/NG electrocatalysts show significantly enhanced ethanol and methanol oxidation reactions. This novel catalyst offers improved stability and CO tolerance compared to commercial Pt/C, paving the way for efficient alcohol electrooxidation.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Developing efficient electrocatalysts is crucial for alcohol oxidation reactions in fuel cells.
- Platinum-based catalysts are effective but suffer from cost and stability issues.
- Interface engineering in nanomaterials offers a pathway to enhance catalytic performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel Platinum-Tin (Pt3Sn) nanoparticles enriched with ultra-small Tin Oxide (SnO2) interfaces on nitrogen graphene (Pt3Sn@u-SnO2/NG).
- To evaluate the electrocatalytic activity, stability, and CO tolerance of the synthesized catalyst for ethanol and methanol oxidation reactions (EOR and MOR).
- To elucidate the structure-performance relationship and the synergistic effects responsible for the enhanced catalytic properties.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Pt3Sn@u-SnO2/NG via thermal treatment of Pt2Sn/NG under H2, followed by annealing in H2 and air.
- Characterization using High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) to confirm the unique Pt3Sn/SnO2 interface structure.
- Electrochemical testing including cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry to measure EOR and MOR activity, stability, and CO tolerance.
Main Results:
- The Pt3Sn@u-SnO2/NG catalyst exhibited significantly higher EOR (366 mA mgPt-1) and MOR (503 mA mgPt-1) activity compared to commercial Pt/C (44 and 99 mA mgPt-1, respectively) at 0.7 V.
- The catalyst demonstrated 3 times greater stability and enhanced CO tolerance over the Pt/C catalyst.
- HRTEM confirmed the presence of Pt3Sn nanoparticles with Pt3Sn/SnO2 interfaces on nitrogen graphene.
Conclusions:
- The Pt3Sn@u-SnO2/NG catalyst shows superior performance for alcohol electrooxidation due to synergistic effects between Pt3Sn nanoparticles and ultra-small SnO2 interfaces.
- The Sn in both Pt3Sn and SnO2 facilitates COads removal and OHads supply, boosting catalytic efficiency at low potentials.
- This study highlights Pt3Sn@u-SnO2 as a promising electrocatalyst for efficient alcohol electrooxidation applications.
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