Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2010 Jul 14;12(26):6933-9. doi: 10.1039/c000822b. Epub 2010 Jun 04.

Monodisperse Pt(3)Co nanoparticles as electrocatalyst: the effects of particle size and pretreatment on electrocatalytic reduction of oxygen.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP

Chao Wang, Guofeng Wang, Dennis van der Vliet, Kee-Chul Chang, Nenad M Markovic, Vojislav R Stamenkovic

PMID: 20526494 DOI: 10.1039/c000822b

Abstract

Monodisperse Pt(3)Co nanoparticles have been synthesized with size control via an organic solvothermal approach. The obtained nanoparticles were incorporated into a carbon matrix and applied as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction to investigate the effects of particle size and pretreatment on their catalytic performance. It has been found that the optimal conditions for maximum mass activity were with particles of approximately 4.5 nm and a mild annealing temperature of about 500 degrees C. While the particle size effect can be correlated to the average surface coordination number, Monte Carlo simulations have been introduced to depict the nanoparticle structure and segregation profile, which revealed that the annealing temperature has a direct influence on the particle surface relaxation, segregation and adsorption/catalytic properties. The obtained fundamental understanding of activity enhancement in Pt-bimetallic alloy catalysts could be utilized to guide the development of advanced nanomaterials for catalytic applications.

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• Journal Article