Abstract
Bimetallic PtAu heteronanostructures have been synthesized from Pt-on-Au nanoparticles, which were made from platinum acetylacetonate and gold nanoparticles. Using the Pt-on-Au nanoparticles as precursors, Ptsurface rich PtAu bimetallic heteronanostructures can be produced through controlled thermal treatments, as confirmed by field emission high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and elemental mapping using a high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscope (HAADF-STEM). Oxidation of formic acid was used as a model reaction to demonstrate the effects of varying composition and surface structure on the catalytic performance of PtAu bimetallic nanostructures. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) showed that these carbon-supported PtAu heteronanostructures were much more active than platinum in catalyzing the oxidation of formic acid, judging by the mass current density. The results showed that postsynthesis modification can be a very useful approach to the control of composition distributions in alloy nanostructures.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 406-415 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Nano Research |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Alloy
- Electrocatalyst
- Formic acid oxidation
- Gold
- Nanostructure
- Platinum
- Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- General Materials Science