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Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production
Published on: December 6, 2021
AuPdPt Ternary Alloy Nanoparticles for Highly Active Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.
Yuto Maruta1, Takaaki Toriyama2, Tomokazu Yamamoto2
1Division of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Adding gold (Au) to palladium-platinum (PdPt) alloys significantly boosts their performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This ternary alloy shows enhanced catalytic activity compared to binary alloys and pure platinum.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Alloying platinum (Pt) enhances hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity.
- Binary palladium-platinum (PdPt) alloys show improved HER activity over monometallic Pt.
- Ternary alloys offer potential for further HER activity enhancement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of incorporating gold (Au) into PdPt alloys on their electronic structure and HER activity.
- To synthesize and characterize homogeneous solid-solution ternary alloy nanoparticles.
- To evaluate the catalytic performance of Au-PdPt alloys for HER.
Main Methods:
- One-pot polyol synthesis of Au20Pd40Pt40 alloy nanoparticles (NPs).
- Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) for elemental mapping.
- X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) analysis.
- Electrochemical measurements in 0.5 M H2SO4.
Main Results:
- Homogeneous solid-solution Au20Pd40Pt40 alloy NPs were successfully synthesized.
- STEM-EDS confirmed uniform elemental distribution, indicating alloy formation.
- XANES revealed electron transfer from Au to Pt and Pd, leading to a more reduced Pt electronic state.
- Au20Pd40Pt40 NPs exhibited a lower overpotential (15.4 mV at 10 mA cm-2) and higher intrinsic turnover frequency (TOF) than Pd50Pt50 and Pt NPs.
Conclusions:
- Incorporating a third element, such as Au, into binary alloys like PdPt effectively enhances HER catalytic activity.
- The observed enhancement is attributed to altered electronic structures, specifically the reduced electronic state of Pt.
- Homogeneous solid-solution ternary alloys represent a promising strategy for developing advanced electrocatalysts.
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