Chemical functionalized noble metal nanocrystals for electrocatalysis

doi:10.1016/S1872-2067(22)64186-X

Abstract

Abstract:

Electrocatalysis is an interface-dominated process, in which the activity of the catalyst highly relates to the adsorption/desorption behaviors of the reactants/intermediates/products on the active sites. From the perspective of catalyst design, the chemical functionalization design on noble metal surfaces will inevitably affect the reaction process, which is considered to be one of the effective strategies to tune the electrocatalytic performance of noble metal nanocrystals. Polyamines (PAM) with high stability and good coordination ability have been widely studied as important functional molecules. In this account, we first introduce the PAM-assisted synthesis mechanism of noble metal nanocrystals, which provides a theoretical basis and guidance for their design and optimization with controllable morphology. Then, the effects of adsorbed PAM on the electronic structure, geometric structure, electrode/electrolyte interface structure and catalytic reaction pathway of noble metal-based catalysts are specifically described. The internal mechanism of noble metal-PAM interfacial effect increasing catalyst activity and selectivity is stated, and the latest research progress of PAM functionalized catalysts applied in important reactions is listed, such as hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction, formic acid oxidation reaction, and nitrate reduction reaction, and so on. These findings open a new avenue for constructing advanced electrocatalysts based on inorganic/organic polymer-mediated interface engineering in various energy-related catalysis/electrocatalysis fields. Finally, the current challenges and future prospects of PAM molecule functionalized noble metal electrocatalysts are proposed.

Key words: Noble metal nanocrystal, Chemical functionalization, Electrocatalysis, Proton enrichment, Interface screen, Pathway optimization

Qi Xue, Zhe Wang, Yu Ding, Fumin Li, Yu Chen. Chemical functionalized noble metal nanocrystals for electrocatalysis[J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2023, 45: 6-16.

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URL: https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/10.1016/S1872-2067(22)64186-X

https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/Y2023/V45/I2/6

Figures/Tables 5

Fig. 1. The molecular structure of (a) PEI and (b) PA/PAA/PAH. (c) UV-vis absorption spectra of PAH, RhCl3 and RhCl3 + PAH solution. (d) Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) curves of RhCl3 + KCl and RhCl3 + KCl + PAH at the glassy carbon electrode. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [40]. Copyright 2016, American Chemical Society. (e) PAM-assisted growth mechanism of noble metal nanocrystals.

Fig. 2. (a) Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image and (b) energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDX) mapping of Pd-NWs@PEI. (c) ORR polarization curves for Pd-NWs@PEI and commercial Pt black in 0.1 mol L-1 NaOH solution. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [55]. Copyright 2015, Royal Society of Chemistry. (d) TEM image and (e) EDX mapping of Au@Pd@PEI NWs. (f) ORR polarization for Au@Pd@PEI NWs and commercial Pt/C in 0.1 mol L-1 NaOH solution. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [56]. Copyright 2018, American Chemical Society. (g) Synthesis process diagram, (h) high resolution TEM (HRTEM) image, (i) the schematic diagram of the cross-sectional model of Au@PAA@Pd. (j) X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of Au@PAA@Pd in Pd 3d and Au 4f regions, respectively. (k) The electronic effects inside Au@PAA@Pd. (l) Cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves for Pd nanoparticles and Au@PAA@Pd in 0.5 mol L-1 H2SO4 and 0.5 mol L-1 HCOOH solution. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [42]. Copyright 2016, Royal Society of Chemistry.

Fig. 3. (a) TEM image of Pt-LSSUs@PAA. (b) The photo of an actual long-spiny sea urchin. (c) Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern of Pt-LSSUs@PAA. (d) Pt 4f XPS spectrum of Pt-LSSUs@PAA. (e) ORR polarization curves for commercial Pt black and Pt-LSSUs@PAA in 0.5 mol L-1 H2SO4 solution. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [43]. Copyright 2016, American Chemical Society. (f) LSV curves of Pttripods@PAA and commercial Pt black in H2SO4 solution. (g,h) EDX mappings of Pttripods@PAA. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [33]. Copyright 2017, American Chemical Society. (i) TEM image of Pt-SSs@PEI. (j) LSV curves of commercial Pt-JM nanoparticles and Pt-SSs@PEI in H2SO4 solution. (k) CV curves of Pt-SSs@PEI and Pt-SSs without PEI in H2SO4 solution. (l) LSV curves of Pt-SSs@PEI and Pt-SSs without PEI in H2SO4 solution. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [57]. Copyright 2017, Royal Society of Chemistry.

Fig. 4. (a) Schematic diagram of PEI layer on the Pd (111) surface simulated by molecular dynamics. (b,c) Schematic illustration of the selective catalytic oxygen reduction of Pd-NWs@PEI. (d) Histogram of the oxidation activity of Pd-NWs@PEI and Pd black for methanol, ethanol and 1-propanol, respectively. The specific peak current densities of commercial Pd black for methanol, ethanol and isopropanol are normalized to 1. (e) ORR polarization curves for Pd-NWs@PEI and Pd black in CH3CH2OH and NaOH solution. Inset in Fig. 4(e): ORR polarization curves of Pd-NWs@PEI in and without CH3CH2OH. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [55]. Copyright 2015, Royal Society of Chemistry. (f) Schematic diagram of PAA layer on the Pt (111) surface simulated by molecular dynamics. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [43]. Copyright 2016, American Chemical Society. TEM images, HRTEM image and SAED pattern of (g) Pt-NDs@PAA-5000 and (h) Pt-NDs@PAA-150000. (i) CV curves of Pt-NDs@PAA-5000 and Pt-NDs@PAA-150000 in H2SO4 solution. (j) CV curves of Pt-NDs@PAA-5000 and Pt black in CH3CH2OH and H2SO4 solution. Inset in Fig. 4(j): the low affinity of PAA to methanol. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [50]. Copyright 2016, Springer. ORR polarization curves for (k) PdCo nanocomposites and (l) Pt black in NaOH solution with/without 4 mmol L-1 CH3CH2OH. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [63]. Copyright 2018, Wiley.

Fig. 5. (a) Scanning electron microscope figure of rGO/PEI aerogels. (b) Faradaic efficiency of H2O2 reduction at different voltages for rGO/PEI aerogels and rGO aerogels. (c) Mechanism of the selective reduction of H2O2 on the surface of rGO/PEI aerogels. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [66]. Copyright 2018, American Chemical Society. (d) TEM figures of Pt/rGO-600 hybrids and (e) Pt/rGO-1000 hybrids. (f) CV curves of (1) the Pt/RGO-600 and (2) Pt/RGO-10000 hybrids in H2SO4 and HCOOH solution. (g) The effect of PEI molecular weight on FAOR of (1) the Pt/RGO-600 and (2) Pt/RGO-10000 hybrids. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [67]. Copyright 2015, Royal Society of Chemistry. (h) TEM, HRTEM and SAED pattern figures of PA-RhCu cNCs. (i) TGA curve of PA-RhCu cNCs. (j) The projected densities of states of Rh in Rh (111), RhCu (111)-ethylamine, RhCu (111) and Rh (111)-ethylamine surfaces. (k) Mechanism of the selective reduction of NH3 on the surface of PA-RhCu cNCs. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [37]. Copyright 2022, Wiley.

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