TY - JOUR
T1 - Cathodic Corrosion of a Bulk Wire to Nonaggregated Functional Nanocrystals and Nanoalloys
AU - Feng, Jicheng
AU - Chen, Dong
AU - Sediq, Ahmad S.
AU - Romeijn, Stefan
AU - Tichelaar, Frans D.
AU - Jiskoot, Wim
AU - Yang, Jun
AU - Koper, Marc T.M.
PY - 2018/3/21
Y1 - 2018/3/21
N2 - A key enabling step in leveraging the properties of nanoparticles (NPs) is to explore new, simple, controllable, and scalable nanotechnologies for their syntheses. Among "wet" methods, cathodic corrosion has been used to synthesize catalytic aggregates with some control over their size and preferential faceting. Here, we report on a modification of the cathodic corrosion method for producing a range of nonaggregated nanocrystals (Pt, Pd, Au, Ag, Cu, Rh, Ir, and Ni) and nanoalloys (Pt50Au50, Pd50Au50, and AgxAu100-x) with potential for scaling up the production rate. The method employs poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as a stabilizer in an electrolyte solution containing nonreducible cations (Na+, Ca2+), and cathodic corrosion of the corresponding wires takes place in the electrolyte under ultrasonication. The ultrasonication not only promotes particle-PVP interactions (enhancing NP dispersion and diluting locally high NP concentration) but also increases the production rate by a factor of ca. 5. Further increase in the production rate can be achieved through parallelization of electrodes to construct comb electrodes. With respect to applications, carbon-supported Pt NPs prepared by the new method exhibit catalytic activity and durability for methanol oxidation comparable or better than the commercial benchmark catalyst. A variety of AgxAu100-x nanoalloys are characterized by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The protocol for NP synthesis by cathodic corrosion should be a step toward its further use in academic research as well as in its practical upscaling.
AB - A key enabling step in leveraging the properties of nanoparticles (NPs) is to explore new, simple, controllable, and scalable nanotechnologies for their syntheses. Among "wet" methods, cathodic corrosion has been used to synthesize catalytic aggregates with some control over their size and preferential faceting. Here, we report on a modification of the cathodic corrosion method for producing a range of nonaggregated nanocrystals (Pt, Pd, Au, Ag, Cu, Rh, Ir, and Ni) and nanoalloys (Pt50Au50, Pd50Au50, and AgxAu100-x) with potential for scaling up the production rate. The method employs poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as a stabilizer in an electrolyte solution containing nonreducible cations (Na+, Ca2+), and cathodic corrosion of the corresponding wires takes place in the electrolyte under ultrasonication. The ultrasonication not only promotes particle-PVP interactions (enhancing NP dispersion and diluting locally high NP concentration) but also increases the production rate by a factor of ca. 5. Further increase in the production rate can be achieved through parallelization of electrodes to construct comb electrodes. With respect to applications, carbon-supported Pt NPs prepared by the new method exhibit catalytic activity and durability for methanol oxidation comparable or better than the commercial benchmark catalyst. A variety of AgxAu100-x nanoalloys are characterized by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The protocol for NP synthesis by cathodic corrosion should be a step toward its further use in academic research as well as in its practical upscaling.
KW - alloy nanoparticles
KW - Cathodic corrosion
KW - comb electrodes
KW - electrocatalysis
KW - methanol oxidation reaction
KW - optical properties
UR - http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a3373029-f4b0-4cce-9515-c680ce0043ee
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85044190994&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acsami.7b18105
DO - 10.1021/acsami.7b18105
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85044190994
SN - 1944-8244
VL - 10
SP - 9532
EP - 9540
JO - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
JF - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
IS - 11
ER -