The rational design of binary and ternary alloy nanoparticles as catalysts have been an important focus of our investigations for different reactions, including gas-phase catalytic reactions for hydrogen production and electrocatalytic reactions in fuel cells and rechargeable lithium-air batteries.  One fundamental question is how the nanoalloy structures can be precisely controlled to tune the catalytic activities.  This paper presents recent findings in the synthesis and processing of binary and ternary alloy nanoparticle catalysts for understanding the atomic-scale metal coordination and structural/chemical ordering in the catalytic and the electrocatalytic processes.  One example focuses on how the catalytic properties of PtNiCo nanoalloys can be tuned by a combination of nanoengineered synthesis and oxidative-reductive thermal processing, highlighting new insights into the control of atomic-scale metal coordination and structural/chemical ordering details based on the characterization using synchrotron X-ray based techniques such as high-energy resonant X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy.

Synthesis and processing of binary and ternary nanocatalysts: New insights into the nanoalloy structures

244th National Meeting (2012)

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