Atomic structural evolution of single-layer Pt clusters as efficient electrocatalysts

Bin-Wei Zhang, Long Ren, Zhong-Fei Xu, Ning-Yan Cheng, Wei-Hong Lai, Lei Zhang, Weichang Hao, Sheng-Qi Chu, Yun-Xiao Wang, Yi Du, Lei Jiang, Hua-Kun Liu, Shi-Xue Dou

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34 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The rational synthesis of single-layer noble metal directly anchored on support materials is an elusive target to accomplish for a long time. This paper reports well-defined single-layer Pt (Pt-SL) clusters anchored on ultrathin TiO2 nanosheets—as a new frontier in electrocatalysis. The structural evolution of Pt-SL/TiO2 via self-assembly of single Pt atoms (Pt-SA) is systematically recorded. Significantly, the Pt atoms of Pt-SL/TiO2 possess a unique electronic configuration with Pt-Pt covalent bonds surrounded by abundant unpaired electrons. This Pt-SL/TiO2 catalyst presents enhanced electrochemical performance toward diverse electrocatalytic reactions (such as the hydrogen evolution reaction and the oxygen reduction reaction) compared with Pt-SA, multilayer Pt nanoclusters, and Pt nanoparticles, suggesting an efficient new type of catalyst that can be achieved by constructing single-layer atomic clusters on supports.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2100732
Number of pages8
JournalSmall
Volume17
Issue number26
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • continuous active sites
  • electrocatalyst
  • HER
  • single-layer Pt clusters

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