Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2026
10:19
Synthesis and Testing of Supported Pt-Cu Solid Solution Nanoparticle Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation
Published on: July 18, 2017
Pressurized Gas-Driven Elemental Redistribution Enables Ultrastable PtNi Catalysts for Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Xueru Zhao1, Kate Chen2, Zixian Jiao3
1Chemistry Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|June 9, 2026
Summary
High-pressure nitriding of platinum-nickel (PtNi) catalysts controls element distribution, enhancing fuel cell performance. This gas-driven surface modification strategy boosts durability and efficiency for heavy-duty applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Catalysis
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Gas-driven element redistribution is common in alloys, affecting surface composition.
- L10-ordered PtNi serves as a model system to study these phenomena.
- Surface composition is crucial for catalyst performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of gas pressure in annealing-induced surface composition changes in PtNi.
- To develop a high-pressure nitriding (HPN) strategy for PtNi catalysts.
- To enhance the performance and durability of PtNi catalysts for fuel cell applications.
Main Methods:
- Annealing of L10-ordered PtNi under varying gas pressures.
- Development and application of a high-pressure nitriding (HPN) strategy.
- Experimental and theoretical analyses (e.g., surface composition, structural characterization).
- Testing HPN-PtNi in membrane electrode assemblies for fuel cells.
Main Results:
- Low gas pressure favors Pt surface segregation; high pressure promotes Ni surface enrichment.
- HPN strategy successfully modulates PtNi surface structure and composition.
- HPN-PtNi catalysts show enhanced performance and durability in fuel cells (1.19 A cm-2 at 0.7 V after 90,000 cycles).
- HPN forms Ni-N bonds, leading to Ni surface enrichment and a Ni-deficient Pt subsurface, altering atomic coordination.
Conclusions:
- Gas pressure is a critical factor in controlling surface composition during annealing.
- The HPN strategy offers a generalizable method for designing robust Pt-based catalysts.
- Controlling gas-pressure-driven elemental redistribution and dopant incorporation is key for advanced catalyst design.
Related Concept Videos
02:50Catalysis
The presence of a catalyst affects the rate of a chemical reaction. A catalyst is a substance that can increase the reaction rate without being consumed during the process. A basic comprehension of a catalysts’ role during chemical reactions can be understood from the concept of reaction mechanisms and energy diagrams.
02:13Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Alkenes undergo reduction by the addition of molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. Because the process generally occurs in the presence of a transition-metal catalyst, the reaction is called 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 surface of...
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 surface of...
02:24Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Introduction
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.
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.
02:17Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
Catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes is a transition-metal catalyzed reduction of the double bond using molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. The mode of hydrogen addition follows syn stereochemistry.
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...
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...
01:22Heterogeneous Catalysis
Heterogeneous catalysis involves a catalyst in a different phase from the reactants. It is a process where the catalyst and the reactants are in distinct phases, typically solid and gas or liquid.Most heterogeneous catalysts are metals, metal oxides, or acids. The list includes transition metals like iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), tungsten (W), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu). These metals possess partially vacant d orbitals that...
01:17Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Ziegler–Natta polymerization is another form of addition or chain‐growth polymerization used for synthesizing linear polymers over branched polymers. The catalyst used for polymerization is the Ziegler–Natta catalyst, named after Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta, who developed it in 1953. This catalyst is an organometallic complex of titanium tetrachloride and triethyl aluminum, with the active form of the catalyst being an alkyl titanium compound. Using the Ziegler–Natta catalyst, high molecular...