Francisco J. Vidal-Iglesias

Imaging Structure Sensitive Catalysis on Different Shape-Controlled Platinum Nanoparticles

The structure sensitive catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on shape-controlled Pt nanoparticles (NPs) is directly imaged using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). We synthesize and compare four types of Pt NPs: spherical, cubic, hexagonal, and tetrahedral-octahedral. Our SECM images show the hexagonal Pt NPs displaying the highest activity for ORR in two acid electrolytes. Meanwhile, cubic and tetrahedral-octahedral NPs drastically change their activity depending on specific adsorption of the different anions in solution. The NPs morphology produces predominant crystallographic planes at the surface of these shape-controlled Pt NPs, which are responsible for their different catalytic activity. Our results translate the studies on Pt single crystal electrodes present in the literature into Pt NPs that are useful as a catalyst in real fuel cells.

Selective electrocatalysis of ammonia oxidation on Pt(100) sites in alkaline medium

The oxidation of ammonia on platinum surfaces is a sensitive-structure reaction that takes place almost exclusively on Pt containing (100) sites. However it is strongly inhibited on Pt(111) and Pt(110) surfaces. A study using stepped electrodes with Pt(100) terraces and monoatomic Pt(111) steps, Pt(S)[n(100)x(111)], Miller indices Pt(2[n1,1,1)], shows that the activity of the electrode is strongly dependent on the terrace width, i.e., the wider the terrace the less positive the peak potential for ammonia oxidation. The change in the peak potential from the widest (100) terraces to terraces 6 atoms wide, i.e., from Pt(100) to Pt(11,1,1), is approximately 60 mV. This result is unexpected if we bear in mind the size and geometry of the ammonia molecule.

Significantly Enhancing Catalytic Activity of Tetrahexahedral Pt Nanocrystals by Bi Adatom Decoration

Tetrahexahedral Pt nanocrystals (THH Pt NCs) bounded by high-index facets possess a high density of active sites and display therefore a higher catalytic activity in comparison with those enclosed by low-index facets. In the current communication, we report, for the first time, the decoration of THH Pt NC surfaces by using Bi adatoms and have demonstrated that the catalytic activity of the Bi decorated THH Pt NCs toward HCOOH electrooxidation has been drastically enhanced in comparison with bare THH Pt NCs. It has also been revealed that the catalytic activity of Bi decorated THH Pt NCs for all coverages investigated always exhibits a higher catalytic activity that is about double that of Bi decorated Pt nanospheres. The study is of great importance regarding both fundamentals and applications.

Role of surface defect sites: from Pt model surfaces to shape-controlled nanoparticles

In the present paper, preferentially oriented (111) Pt nanoparticles (mostly octahedral and tetrahedral, namely {111}Pt nanoparticles) have been characterized and compared with a Pt(554) single-crystal electrode as their voltammetric features are quite similar in 0.5 M H2SO4. The anion and Bi adsorption behaviours suggest that the {111}Pt nanoparticles contain relatively wide hexagonal domains and also isolated sites which could adsorb solely hydrogen. Bi step decoration has been successfully extended to modify the defects of {111}Pt nanoparticles without blocking terrace sites. CO charge displacement has been applied to determine the potential of zero total charge (pztc) of non-decorated and Bi decorated surfaces. It has found that the positive shift of pztc on defect-decorated {111}Pt nanoparticles is not so significant in comparison with that of Pt(554) due to the relative short mean length of (111) domains on the {111}Pt nanoparticles. CO stripping demonstrates that {111}Pt nanoparticles exhibit higher reactivity toward CO oxidation. This reflects the role of the defect sites in nanoparticles, evidenced by the disappearance of the “pre-wave” in the stripping voltammogram once the defects were blocked by Bi. The stripping peaks shift to higher potential on Bi decorated surfaces, indicating the active role of both steps and defects for CO oxidation. By comparing the CO stripping charge and the change in hydrogen adsorption charge of surfaces with and without Bi decoration, including reasonable deconvolution, the local CO coverage on defect and terrace sites were obtained for the first time for the {111}Pt nanoparticles, and the results are in good agreement with those obtained on Pt(554). Chronoamperometry studies show tailing in all current–time transients of CO oxidation on all surfaces studied. The kinetics of CO oxidation can be satisfactorily simulated by a modified Langmuir–Hinshelwood model, demonstrating that CO oxidation on all studied surfaces follows the same mechanism.

Synthesis of Pt Nanoparticles in Water-in-Oil Microemulsion: Effect of HCl on Their Surface Structure.

The synthesis of shape-controlled nanoparticles is currently a hot research topic. However, from an applied point of view, there is still a lack of easy, cheap, and scalable methodologies. In this communication we report, for the first time, the synthesis of cubic platinum nanoparticles with a very high yield using a water-in-oil microemulsion method, which unlike others, such as the colloidal method, fulfills the previous requirements. This shape/surface structure control is determined by the concentration of HCl in the water phase of the microemulsion. The results reported here show that the optimal HCl percentage in the water phase is about 25% to obtain the highest amount of cubic nanostructures. Ammonia electro-oxidation is used as a surface structure sensitive reaction to illustrate HCl surface structure effects. Moreover, in situ electrochemical characterization has been performed to study the nanoparticle surface structure.

Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of Au@Cu core@shell nanoparticles towards CO2 reduction

The development of technologies for the recycling of carbon dioxide into carbon-containing fuels is one of the major challenges in sustainable energy research. Two of the main current limitations are the poor efficiency and fast deactivation of catalysts. Core–shell nanoparticles are promising candidates for enhancing challenging reactions. In this work, Au@Cu core–shell nanoparticles with well-defined surface structures were synthesized and evaluated as catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide in neutral medium. The activation potential, the product distribution and the long term durability of this catalyst were assessed by electrochemical methods, on-line electrochemical mass spectrometry (OLEMS) and on-line high performance liquid chromatography. Our results show that the catalytic activity and the selectivity can be tweaked as a function of the thickness of Cu shells. We have observed that the Au cubic nanoparticles with 7–8 layers of copper present higher selectivity towards the formation of hydrogen and ethylene; on the other hand, we observed that Au cubic nanoparticles with more than 14 layers of Cu are more selective towards the formation of hydrogen and methane. A trend in the formation of the gaseous products can be also drawn. The H2 and CH4 formation increases with the number of Cu layers, while the formation of ethylene decreases. Formic acid was the only liquid species detected during CO2 reduction. Similar to the gaseous species, the formation of formic acid is strongly dependent on the number of Cu layers on the core@shell nanoparticles. The Au cubic nanoparticles with 7–8 layers of Cu showed the largest conversion of CO2 to formic acid at potentials higher than 0.8 V vs. RHE. The observed trends in reactivity and selectivity are linked to the catalyst composition, surface structure and strain/electronic effects.

Towards More Active and Stable Electrocatalysts for Formic Acid Electrooxidation: Antimony‐Decorated Octahedral Platinum Nanoparticles

This work has been financially supported by the MICINN (Feder) of Spain and the Generalitat Valenciana through projects CTQ2010-16271 and PROMETEO/2009/45. F.J.V.I. also thanks the European Social Funding.

Shape dependent electrocatalysis

In this paper we will review the state-of-the-art in the application of shape-controlled metal nanoparticles in Electrocatalysis, especially in reactions of interest in PEMFCs such as O2reduction and CO, methanol, ethanol and formic acid electrooxidations. In particular, we will focus our attention on shape-controlled platinum (Pt), gold (Au) and palladium (Pd) nanoparticles. In addition, electrocatalytic applications of shape-controlled Pt-based alloy nanoparticles will be also reviewed. The results reported will highlight how important can be controlling the shape of the nanocatalyst and how effective this parameter may be to improve the activity and thus, develop highly active electrocatalysts.

Surface structure and anion effects in the oxidation of ethanol on platinum nanoparticles

Ethanol oxidation on platinum nanoparticles with well-characterized surfaces is studied using cyclic voltammetry and FTIR techniques. Their behavior is compared with that obtained for platinum single crystal electrodes, in order to rationalize their performance and to understand the effects of the surface structure and anion adsorption on the reactivity. The results clearly demonstrate that there are strong effects of anion adsorption and surface structure on the measured current and oxidation mechanism. Thus, the main product of ethanol oxidation on (111) preferentially oriented Pt nanoparticles is acetic acid, and the amount of CO2 produced can be considered negligible. On the other hand, (100) preferentially oriented Pt nanoparticles are effective for the cleavage of the C–C bond yielding adsorbed CO, which eventually is oxidized to CO2. This nanoparticles electrode has the highest catalytic activity at high potentials, whereas (111) preferentially oriented Pt nanoparticles are more active at low potentials. In addition, no significant differences in the activity are reported by using different supporting electrolytes, which indicates that adsorbed acetate, which results from the adsorption of acetic acid, hinders ethanol oxidation.

Carbon materials for the electrooxidation of nucleobases, nucleosides and nucleotides toward cytosine methylation detection: a review

Improved analytical methods for the determination of the degree of methylation of DNA are of vital relevance, as they may enable the detection of certain diseases, such as carcinomas and infertility, in the early stages of development. Among the analytical methods for the detection and quantification of epigenetic modifications in DNA, electroanalytical platforms are emerging as potential feasible tools for clinical purposes. This review describes the fundamentals of the electrochemical responses of nucleobases, nucleosides, nucleotides and DNA in general from the pioneering studies at mercury electrodes to the most recent studies during the last two decades. Concerning these latter studies, we will exclusively focus on carbonaceous electrodes such as carbon, graphite, glassy carbon, boron-doped diamond, carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes and graphene. This review will also provide an overview of the feasibility of the development of electrochemical sensors for the simultaneous determination and quantification of naturally occurring DNA bases and nucleotides as well as the methylation of cytosine in DNA using carbon materials.