Inefficient electrocatalysts impede the development of technologies that interconvert renewable energy and chemical fuels. Much attention has focused on size, shape and composition as the key parameters that determine the activity of nanoparticle electocatalysts. While the structure space spanned by these parameters is immense, it is unclear if it is sufficient to address the outstanding catalytic challenges. We have recently developed a class of heterogeneous electrocatalysts called �oxide-derived metal nanoparticles�. Examples of these materials are capable of interconverting CO2 and CO near the equilibrium potential, reducing CO to multi-carbon oxygenates, and reducing O2 to H2O at low overpotential. Structural studies implicate the participation of grain boundary regions in these catalytic processes. The preparation of catalysts with unique grain boundaries and associated surfaces represents an underexplored but promising structure space for next-generation electrocatalysts.

Oxide-derived metal nanoparticles: A new structure space for heterogeneous electrocatalysis

247th National Meeting (2014)

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