How the Arrangement of Platinum Atoms on Ruthenium Nanoparticles Improves Hydrogen Evolution Activity
Qinyu Li1, Soshan Cheong2, Agus R Poerwoprajitno3
1School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|July 22, 2025
Summary
Platinum-ruthenium (PtRu) catalysts show high activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline solutions. Controlling platinum atom arrangement on ruthenium nanoparticles significantly boosts HER performance by optimizing active sites.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Platinum-ruthenium (PtRu) alloys are active catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media.
- Both platinum (Pt) and ruthenium (Ru) contribute to water dissociation and hydrogen atom generation during HER.
- Optimizing the atomic arrangement of Pt on Ru nanoparticles is crucial for enhancing HER catalytic performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To precisely control the arrangement of Pt atoms on Ru hourglass nanoparticles.
- To investigate the impact of different Pt arrangements (islands, clusters, strings) on HER activity.
- To understand how tuning Pt-Pt and Pt-Ru neighboring sites influences the HER mechanism.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Pt on Ru hourglass nanoparticles with controlled Pt distribution.
- Computational calculations to determine favorable Pt configurations.
- Electrocatalytic testing to evaluate HER performance and turnover frequency.
Main Results:
- Controlled growth of Pt on Ru nanoparticles resulted in distinct arrangements: Pt islands, small clusters, and atomic strings.
- Calculations identified Pt atomic strings on Ru as the thermodynamically favorable configuration.
- The Pt-string on Ru catalyst exhibited a >5-fold increase in turnover frequency for alkaline HER compared to Pt-island on Ru.
Conclusions:
- Controlling the atomic arrangement of Pt on Ru nanoparticles is key to maximizing synergistic Pt-Ru and Pt-Pt active sites.
- The unique atomic string configuration of Pt on Ru significantly enhances alkaline HER efficiency.
- This study provides a pathway for designing highly efficient electrocatalysts by precise control of atomic arrangements.
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