Rhodium is an active metal catalyst for a variety of chemical transformations, but little research has focused on manipulating the surface structure of Rh nanocrystals. We proposed a strategy using substrate nanocrystals of another metal as structure-directing templates for Rh overgrowth. In this study, Pd nanoparticles of well-defined shapes and sizes were created via a facile aqueous synthesis. These particles were then used as seeds for Rh overgrowth, resulting in shape-controlled core-shell Pd@Rh nanoparticles. Carbon monoxide oxidation and formic acid oxidation experiments were performed for both cubic and octahedral Pd@Rh particles to compare the structure-dependent catalytic properties of the two morphologies. It was found that the cubic particles had a higher catalytic activity than the octahedra for both reactions, indicating that the two morphologies have distinct surface structures. Formic acid oxidation is a good model catalytic reaction to study, because it is currently being developed as a potential way to power fuel cells. By examining nanoparticles of different morphology and composition, we can strive to develop more efficient and cost-effective fuel cell catalysts.

Pd-Rh core-shell nanostructures for electrochemical energy storage

245th National Meeting (2013)

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