Tailoring Ruthenium Exposure to Enhance the Performance of fcc Platinum@Ruthenium Core-Shell Electrocatalysts in the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Noktan Mohammed AlYami, Alec P. LaGrow, Khurram Joya, Jinyeon Hwang, Khabiboulakh Katsiev, Dalaver H. Anjum, Yaroslav Losovyj, Lutfan Sinatra, Jin Young Kim, Osman Bakr

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

46 Scopus citations

Abstract

The catalytic properties of noble metal nanocrystals are a function of their size, structure, and surface composition. In particular, achieving high activity without sacrificing stability is essential for designing commercially viable catalysts. A major challenge in designing state-of-the-art Ru-based catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is a key step in water splitting, is the poor stability and surface tailorability of these catalysts. In this study, we designed rapidly synthesizable size-controlled, morphology-selective, and surface-tailored platinum-ruthenium core-shell (Pt@Ru) and alloy (PtRu) nanocatalysts in a scalable continuous-flow reactor. These core-shell nanoparticles with atomically precise shells were produced in a single synthetic step with carbon monoxide as the reducing agent. By varying the metal precursor concentration, a dendritic or layer-by-layer ruthenium shell can be grown. The catalytic activities of the synthesized Pt@Ru and PtRu nanoparticles exhibit noticeably higher electrocatalytic activity in the OER compared to that of pure Pt and Ru nanoparticles. Promisingly, Pt@Ru nanocrystals with a ~2-3 atomic layer Ru cuboctahedral shell surpass conventional Ru nanoparticles in terms of both durability and activity.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)16169-16178
Number of pages10
JournalPhys. Chem. Chem. Phys.
Volume18
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: Author Contributions: All of the authors approved the final
version of the manuscript. N.M.A. designed the synthetic
procedure. N.M.A. performed the TEM and XRD. N.M.A., A.P.L.
and D.H.A. conducted the STEM and STEM-EDS mapping. Y.L.
and Kh.K. performed XPS. N.M.A. and A.P.L. hypothesized the
growth mechanism. N.M.A., K.S.J., J.H., L.S. and J.Y.K. executed
the electrochemical measurements and analysis. N.M.A. wrote
the manuscript and carried out the analyses. All authors contributed to the discussion and interpretation of the results.
We thank Prof. Kazuhiro Takanabe for the use of his lab to
conduct the electrochemical experiments. Access to XPS at the
Nanoscale Characterization Facility at IU-B Chemistry was
provided by NSF Award DMR MRI-1126394.

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