Shikui Yao

Preparation of Pt hollow nanotubes with adjustable diameters for methanol electrooxidation

Pt hollow nanotubes (Pt HNTs) with adjustable diameters as methanol oxidation electrocatalysts were synthesized through a galvanic replacement method, in which Ag nanowires with variable diameters obtained under controllable microwave irradiation conditions were used as the sacrificial templates. The Pt HNTs with a diameter of 100 nm (Pt-100) exhibited the highest catalytic activity, which was 1.6 times the state-of-the-art commercial Pt black, showing the advantage of hollow tube nanostructure over nanoparticle structure in electrocatalysis for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). Dependence of electrocatalytic activity on Pt HNT diameter reflects the Pt utilization effect in the geometrical view.

Promotion of Mesoporous Vanadium Carbide Incorporated on Resorcinol–Formaldehyde Resin Carbon Composites with High‐Surface‐Areas on Platinum Catalysts for Methanol Electrooxidation

Vanadium carbide incorporated on resorcinol–formaldehyde resin carbon (V8C7@RFC) was synthesized as a novel mesoporous catalyst‐support material by pyrolysis of the resorcinol–formaldehyde resin and NaVO3 mixture. The material’s BET surface area was 564 m2 g−1 and thus much higher than that of 389 m2 g−1 for the carbon powders yielded by resin carbonation. Physical characterization revealed that the supporting material possesses a mesoporous structure and Pt nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed on the V8C7@RFC surface. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the V8C7‐modified Pt catalyst exhibits a negative shift of over 100 mV in the onset potential for COads electrooxidation and a dramatically enhanced activity in methanol oxidation reaction. The enhancement was mainly attributed to the electronic effect between Pt and V8C7 and the mesoporous structure providing ideal anchor sites for Pt dispersion.

Electrocatalysts and Catalyst Layers for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Abstract In this chapter, to give some basic knowledge and concepts, some fundamentals about the catalyst activity and stability of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts, which are the targeted research systems by rotating electrode methods, are presented. A detailed description about the electrocatalysts and catalyst layers and their applications for ORR in terms of their types, structures, properties, catalytic activity/stability, as well as their research progress in the past several decades are also given. Furthermore, both the synthesis and characterization methods for ORR electrocatalysts, and the fabrication procedures for catalyst layers are also reviewed.

Pd@Pt/C catalysts fabricated using chemisorbed CO as in situ reductant: advanced catalytic behaviour for formic acid oxidation

A Pd sub-layer on a Pt substrate is fabricated stoichiometrically using chemisorbed CO as an in situ reductant. The Pd sub-layer of the Pd@Pt/C catalysts exhibits a more negative oxidation peak and 3 times higher mass activity for formic acid oxidation than commercial Pd/C.