The catalytic performance of nanoparticles has an important impact both from a fundamental understanding of materials chemistry and practical applications such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). Noble metal nanoparticles in particular have received significant attention in recent years owing to their excellent catalytic properties; however, they are often susceptible to poisoning by intermediate species which hinders their performance. Bimetallic nanoparticles can show improved poisoning resistance and activity when compared to their monometallic counterparts. We chose Rh@M nanocrystals as a model system, where M = Ir, Pd and Pt. A series of Rh@M nanocubes were synthesized with different shell thicknesses and have been characterized by TEM, XRD and STEM-EDS. We demonstrate through XPS and cyclic voltammetry studies that the electronic and strain effects of a model Rh@M system can be manipulated to enhance the performance of the catalysts for formic acid electrooxidation (FAO).

Core@Shell architecture: Enhancing catalytic performance

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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