The noble metal nanoparticles as electrocatalysts are extensively used in the field of electro-catalysis. A number of techniques, including chemical reduction, thermal decomposition, physical vapor deposition, microemulsion method and electrochemical deposition, have been applied to prepare the electrocatalysts. In our work, the surfactant-free electrochemical synthesis methods have been developed to prepare the noble metal Pt nanoparticles with a variety of surface morphologies including spherical-, sheet-, flower-, prickly sphere- and cauliflower-like shapes. Furthermore, the relationship between the surface morphology of the Pt particles and the electrocatalytic activity has been investigated. The results showed that the surface morphology of the fabricated electrocatalyst Pt particles on the ITO substrates has a significant influence on the electrocatalytic activity for ammonia and methanol oxidation. In particular, the hierarchical Pt particles with sheet-, flower-, prickly sphere- and cauliflower-like morphologies have a much higher electrocatalytic activity for the ammonia and methanol oxidation than the smooth, spherical Pt particles. The much improved electrocatalytic activity is attributed not only to the large electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) achieved, but also to the high electrocatalytic activity per unit ECSA. Electrodeposition technique provides a promising alternative to fabricate high-performance electrocatalysts for oxidation of ammonia in aqueous solutions.

Electrochemical approach to prepare electrocatalysts

246th National Meeting (2013)

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