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At least 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

High performance diesel oxidation catalysts using ultra-low Pt loading on titania nanowire array integrated cordierite honeycombs

High performance of an ultra-low Pt loading diesel oxidation catalyst can be achieved by using a combination of novel nano-array structured support, precise control of ultrafine active Pt particles, and an addition of H 2 as a promoter into the exhausts. Highly stable mesoporous rutile TiO 2 nano-array was uniformly grown on three-dimensional (3-D) cordierite honeycomb monoliths using a solvothermal synthesis. Atomic layer deposition was employed for precise dispersion of ultrafine Pt particles (0.95 ± 0.24 nm) on TiO 2 nano-array with a Pt loading of 1.1 g/ft 3 . Despite low Pt loading, the Pt/TiO 2 nano-array catalyst shows impressive low-temperature oxidation reactivity, with the conversion of CO and total hydrocarbon (THC) reaching 50% at 224 and 285 °C, respectively, in the clean diesel combustion (CDC) simulated exhaust conditions. The excellent activity is attributed to the unique nano-array structure that promotes gas-solid interaction and ultra-small Pt particle dispersion that increase surface Pt atoms. We also demonstrate that addition of more H 2 into the exhaust can lower light-off temperature for CO and THC by up to ~60 °C and ~30 °C, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Identifying factors controlling the selective ethane dehydrogenation on Pt-based catalysts from DFT based micro-kinetic modeling

Herein, a detailed EDH reaction mechanism on Pt(111), Pt(211), Pt 3 Sn(111) and Pt 3 Sn(211) surfaces has been systematically computed with DFT. A mean-field micro-kinetic model has been established to simulate the product distribution and selectivity on each surface at experimentally relevant conditions. We have uncovered a number of different factors controlling the catalytic performance of Pt-based EDH catalysts, thus leading to a better understanding of experimentally detected phenomenon. In this study, the (111) and (211) model surfaces of Pt and Pt 3 Sn catalysts were chosen to represent the terrace and step-edge sites when simulating the EDH reaction mechanisms.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Pt nanoparticles modified by rare earth oxides: Electronic effect and influence to catalytic hydrogenation of 3-phenoxybenzaldehyde

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The rare earths modified Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} were prepared by colloidal deposition method. • Modification of Pt by the rare earth enhanced catalytic hydrogenation activity. • The activity improvement is due to electron interaction between Pt and rare earth. • The hydrogenation mechanism of rare earth modified Pt catalyst was proposed. - Abstract: The rare earth elements (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Pr, and Gd) modified Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalysts were prepared by the colloidal deposition and chemical reduction methods, respectively. Pt nanoparticles with average size 3 ± 0.5 nm were uniformly dispersed on the surface of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} for the samples prepared by the colloidal deposition method, which exhibited higher activities in the hydrogenation of 3-phenoxybenzadehyde than the corresponding samples prepared by chemical reduction method. Moreover, except Gd, the catalysts modified by rare earth elements showed better catalytic performance than unmodified Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. For Pt–Ce/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst, when the weight percent of Pt and Ce was 0.5 and 0.25, respectively, the hydrogenation conversion of 3-phenoxybenzaldehyde was 97.3% after 6 h reaction. This activity improvement is due to the electronic interaction between Pt and rare earth elements, which was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Pt-TiO{sub 2} microspheres with exposed {001} facets for degradation of formaldehyde in air: Formation mechanism and enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

Highlights: • TiO{sub 2} microspheres with exposed {001} facets were successfully synthesized. • Pt-TiO{sub 2} catalyst combined the properties of Pt nanoparticles and TiO{sub 2} {001} facet. • The catalyst exhibited an enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity. • The formation mechanism of TiO{sub 2} microspheres with exposed {001} facets was studied. - Abstract: In this study, TiO{sub 2} microspheres with exposed {001} facets were successfully synthesized by a low-temperature hydrothermal method without using any organic solvents as morphology controlling agent. Furthermore, an active Pt-TiO{sub 2} catalyst was prepared by impregnation and deposition-precipitation methods with reduction processes. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by degradation of formaldehyde in air under visible light irradiation at room temperature. After modification with Pt, the optical absorption property of the Pt-TiO{sub 2} microspheres was extended to visible light range. More importantly, the Pt-TiO{sub 2} microspheres exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance for formaldehyde degradation under visible light irradiation, being superior to pure TiO{sub 2} microspheres and even Pt-P25. The formation mechanism of the TiO{sub 2} microspheres with exposed {001} facets was studied. Moreover, the proper photocatalytic mechanism was also proposed. This work provided new insight into the improvement of photocatalytic activity by special high-energy facet exposing and noble metal depositing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

High-Performance Pt–Co Nanoframes for Fuel-Cell Electrocatalysis

Pt-based alloy catalysts are promising candidates for fuel-cell applications, especially for cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and anodic methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The rational design of composition and morphology is crucial to promoting catalytic performances. Here, we report the synthesis of Pt–Co nanoframes via chemical etching of Co from solid rhombic dodecahedra. The obtained Pt–Co nanoframes exhibit excellent ORR mass activity in acidic electrolyte, which is as high as 0.40 A mg Pt –1 initially and 0.34 A mg Pt –1 after 10 000 potential cycles at 0.95 V RHE . Furthermore, their MOR mass activity in alkaline media is up to 4.28 A mg Pt –1 and is 4-fold higher than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst. Furthermore, experimental studies indicate that the weakened binding of intermediate carbonaceous poison contributes to the enhanced MOR behavior. More impressively, the Pt–Co nanoframes also demonstrate remarkable stability under long-term testing, which could be attributed to the negligible electrochemical Co dissolution.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Enhanced Hydrodeoxygenation of m -Cresol over Bimetallic Pt–Mo Catalysts through an Oxophilic Metal-Induced Tautomerization Pathway

Supported bimetallic catalysts consisting of a noble metal (e.g., Pt) and an oxophilic metal (e.g., Mo) have received considerable attention for the hydrodeoxygenation of oxygenated aromatic compounds produced from biomass fast pyrolysis. Here, we report that PtMo can catalyze m-cresol deoxygenation via a pathway involving an initial tautomerization step. In contrast, the dominant mechanism on monometallic Pt/Al 2 O 3 was found to be sequential Pt-catalyzed ring hydrogenation followed by dehydration on the support. Bimetallic Pt 10 Mo 1 and Pt 1 Mo 1 catalysts were found to produce the completely hydrogenated and deoxygenated product, methylcyclohexane (MCH), with much higher yields than monometallic Pt catalysts with comparable metal loadings and surface areas. Over an inert carbon support, MCH formation was found to be slow over monometallic Pt catalysts, while deoxygenation was significant for PtMo catalysts even in the absence of an acidic support material. Experimental studies of m-cresol deoxygenation together with density functional theory calculations indicated that Mo sites on the PtMo bimetallic surface dramatically lower the barrier for m-cresol tautomerization and subsequent deoxygenation. The accessibility of this pathway arises from the increased interaction between the oxygen of m-cresol and the Mo sites in the Pt surface. This interaction significantly alters the configuration of the precursor and transition states for tautomerization. Lastly, a suite of catalyst characterization techniques including X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) indicate that Mo was present in a reduced state on the bimetallic surface under conditions relevant for reaction. Overall, these results suggest that the use of bifunctional metal catalysts can result in new reaction pathways that are unfavorable on monometallic noble metal catalysts.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mechanistic Study of 1,2-Dichloroethane Hydrodechlorination on Cu-Rich Pt–Cu Alloys: Combining Reaction Kinetics Experiments with DFT Calculations and Microkinetic Modeling

Cu-rich Pt–Cu bimetallic catalysts are among the most promising candidates for actively catalyzing the hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) toward ethylene production. Combining reaction kinetics experiments with density functional theory (DFT) calculations and mean-field microkinetic modeling, we present a systematic mechanistic study for 1,2-DCA hydrodechlorination on Cu-rich Pt–Cu alloy catalysts. Our DFT (PBE+(TS+SCS)) results suggest that increasing Cu content in the Pt–Cu alloy destabilizes C 2 -species adsorption while stabilizing the binding of atomic chlorine. The reaction energetics of all the elementary steps in the 1,2-DCA reaction network were calculated on a Pt 1 Cu 3 (111) model surface. The DFT results were then used to construct a microkinetic model, and the model-predicted reaction rates were compared with our reaction kinetics experimental results on a Cu-rich SiO 2 -supported Pt–Cu alloy catalyst through a parameter estimation procedure. Both the reaction kinetics experiments and the microkinetic model after parameter adjustments yielded 100% selectivity to ethylene. The microkinetic model pointed to a reaction pathway involving two sequential chlorine-removal steps on the Pt–Cu alloy catalyst, a mechanism distinct from the one previously identified on pure Pt/SiO 2 catalysts, which involved an initial hydrogen-removal step. Adjustments to the DFT-derived parameters indicate the possible formation of chlorine-induced Cu-enriched surface sites during 1,2-DCA hydrodechlorination conditions, sites that are more active than those encountered in the bulk Pt 1 Cu 3 (111) alloy surface. Furthermore, our study offers valuable initial insights on the 1,2-DCA hydrodechlorination reaction mechanism and the nature of the active sites on PtCu bimetallic catalysts.

1,2-Dichloroethane↗
DOE OSTI2013

Cluster Chemistry in Electron-Poor Ae-Pt-Cd Systems (Ae=Ca, Sr, Ba): (Sr,Ba)Pt2Cd4, Ca6Pt8Cd16, and Its Known Antitype Er6Pd16Sb8

Three new ternary polar intermetallic compounds, cubic Ca6Pt8Cd16, and tetragonal (Sr, Ba)Pt2Cd4 have been discovered during explorations of the Ae–Pt–Cd systems. Cubic Ca6Pt8Cd16 (Fm-3m, Z = 4, a = 13.513(1) Å) contains a 3D array of separate Cd8 tetrahedral stars (TS) that are both face capped along the axes and diagonally bridged by Pt atoms to generate the 3D anionic network Cd8[Pt(1)]6/2[Pt(2)]4/8. The complementary cationic surface of the cell consists of a face-centered cube of Pt(3)@Ca6 octahedra. This structure is an ordered ternary variant of Sc11Ir4 (Sc6Ir8Sc16), a stuffed version of the close relative Na6Au7Cd16, and a network inverse of the recent Er6Sb8Pd16 (compare Ca6Pt8Cd16). The three groups of elements each occur in only one structural version. The new AePt2Cd4, Ae = Sr, Ba, are tetragonal (P42/mnm,Z = 2, a ≈ 8.30 Å, c ≈ 4.47 Å) and contain chains of edge-sharing Cd4 tetrahedra along c that are bridged by four-bonded Ba/Sr. LMTO-ASA and ICOHP calculation results and comparisons show that the major bonding (Hamilton) populations in Ca6Pt8Cd16 and Er6Sb8Pd16 come from polar Pt–Cd and Pd–Sb interactions, that Pt exhibits larger relativistic contributions than Pd, that characteristic size and orbital differences are most evident for Sb 5s, Pt8, and Pd16, and that some terms remain incomparable, Ca–Cd versus Er–Pd.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Quantitative Analysis of the Reduction Kinetics Responsible for the One-Pot Synthesis of Pd–Pt Bimetallic Nanocrystals with Different Structures

We report a quantitative understanding of the reduction kinetics responsible for the formation of Pd–Pt bimetallic nanocrystals with two distinctive structures. The syntheses involve the use of KBr to manipulate the reaction kinetics by influencing the redox potentials of metal precursor ions via ligand exchange. In the absence of KBr, the ratio between the initial reduction rates of PdCl 4 2– and PtCl 4 2– was about 10.0, leading to the formation of Pd@Pt octahedra with a core–shell structure. In the presence of 63 mM KBr, the products became Pd–Pt alloy nanocrystals. In this case, the ratio between the initial reduction rates of the two precursors dropped to 2.4 because of ligand exchange and, thus, the formation of PdBr 4 2– and PtBr 4 2– . The alloy nanocrystals took a cubic shape owing to the selective capping effect of Br – ions toward the {100} facets. Relative to the alloy nanocubes, the Pd@Pt core–shell octahedra showed substantial enhancement in both catalytic activity and durability toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Specifically, the specific (1.51 mA cm –2 ) and mass (1.05 A mg –1 Pt) activities of the core–shell octahedra were enhanced by about four- and three-fold relative to the alloy nanocubes (0.39 mA cm –2 and 0.34 A mg –1 Pt, respectively). Even after 20000 cycles of accelerated durability test, the core–shell octahedra still exhibited a mass activity of 0.68 A mg –1 Pt, twice that of a pristine commercial Pt/C catalyst.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Catalytic decomposition of Ba(NO3)2 on Pt(111)

The decomposition of Ba(NO3)2 formed on BaO/Pt(111) (Pt(111) surface is partially covered by BaO) in the presence of CO was studied using temperature programmed desorption (TPD), infrared reflection absorption (IRA) and X-ray photoelectron (XP) spectroscopies. The exposure of BaO/Pt(111) to elevated NO2 pressure (1.0×10-4 Torr) at 450 K leads to the formation of Ba(NO3)2, chemisorbed O (OPt) and Pt-oxide-like domains. During TPD, the Ba(NO3)2 begins to thermally decompose near 490 K, releasing NO and NO2 with the maximum NOx desorption rate seen at 605 K. The OPt species formed following the exposure of BaO/Pt(111) to NO2 react with CO to release CO2 at 450 K. The consumption of OPt during CO oxidation initiates the migration of O from the Pt-oxide-like domains to the chemisorbed phase, where the CO oxidation reaction occurs. Therefore, the removal of OPt by CO leads to the reduction of oxidized Pt, and to the formation of metallic Pt(111) domains, where, subsequently, catalytic decomposition of Ba(NO3)2 can take place. The Pt-catalyzed decomposition of Ba(NO3)2 occurs readily at 450 K, a temperature much lower than the onset of the decomposition temperature of Ba(NO3)2 in the presence of oxidized Pt. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences' Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

An Atomic-Scale View of the Nucleation and Growth of Graphene Islands on Pt Surfaces

In this work, we study the nucleation and growth of epitaxial graphene on Pt(111) surfaces at the atomic level using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Graphene nucleation occurs both near Pt step edges and on Pt terraces, producing hexagonally shaped islands with atomically sharp zigzag edges. Graphene interacts strongly with Pt substrate during growth, by etching and replacement of Pt atoms from step edges, which results in faceting of the Pt steps. The favorable lattice orientations of graphene islands are found to be parallel to those of the Pt substrate, but other orientations are still possible. Grain boundaries are formed when two graphene islands merge with different lattice orientations. Improved growth conditions such as smaller nucleation density and higher growth rate can produce high quality graphene film with larger grain sizes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fine-tuned local coordination environment of Pt single atoms on ceria controls catalytic reactivity

Constructing single atom catalysts with fine-tuned coordination environments can be a promising strategy to achieve satisfactory catalytic performance. Herein, via a simple calcination temperature-control strategy, CeO 2 supported Pt single atom catalysts with precisely controlled coordination environments are successfully fabricated. The joint experimental and theoretical analysis reveals that the Pt single atoms on Pt 1 /CeO 2 prepared at 550 °C (Pt/CeO 2 -550) are mainly located at the edge sites of CeO 2 with a Pt–O coordination number of ca. 5, while those prepared at 800 °C (Pt/CeO 2 -800) are predominantly located at distorted Ce substitution sites on CeO 2 terrace with a Pt–O coordination number of ca. 4. Pt/CeO 2 -550 and Pt/CeO 2 -800 with different Pt 1 -CeO 2 coordination environments exhibit a reversal of activity trend in CO oxidation and NH 3 oxidation due to their different privileges in reactants activation and H 2 O desorption, suggesting that the catalytic performance of Pt single atom catalysts in different target reactions can be maximized by optimizing their local coordination structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dispersion and stability mechanism of Pt nanoparticles on transition-metal oxides

The heterogeneous catalysts of Pt/transition-metal oxides are typically synthesized through calcination at 500 °C, and Pt nanoparticles are uniformly and highly dispersed when hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is applied before calcination. The influence of H 2 O 2 on the dispersion and the stability of Pt nanoparticles on titania-incorporated fumed silica (Pt/Ti–FS) supports was examined using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements at the Pt L 3 and Ti K edges as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The local structural and chemical properties around Pt and Ti atoms of Pt/Ti–FS with and without H 2 O 2 treatment were monitored using in-situ XAFS during heating from room temperature to 500 °C. XAFS revealed that the Pt nanoparticles of H 2 O 2 -Pt/Ti–FS are highly stable and that the Ti atoms of H 2 O 2 -Pt/Ti–FS support form into a distorted-anatase TiO 2 . DFT calculations showed that Pt atoms bond more stably to oxidized–TiO 2 surfaces than they do to bare- and reduced–TiO 2 surfaces. XAFS measurements and DFT calculations clarified that the presence of extra oxygen atoms due to the H 2 O 2 treatment plays a critical role in the strong bonding of Pt atoms to TiO 2 surfaces.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Experimental measurements of the heats of formation of Fe{sub 3}Pt, FePt, and FePt{sub 3} using differential scanning calorimetry

Using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the heats of formation of Fe{sub 3}Pt, FePt, and FePt{sub 3} were determined from the reaction of sputter deposited Fe/Pt multilayer thin-films with a periodicity of 200 nm but different overall compositions. Film compositions were measured by energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry. The phases present along the reaction path were identified by x-ray diffraction. For the most Fe-rich phase, namely, Fe{sub 3}Pt, the measured enthalpy of formation was -9.3 {+-} 1.3 kJ/mol in a film with a composition of 70.4:29.6 ({+-}0.2 at. %) Fe:Pt. For FePt, the measured enthalpy of formation was -27.2 {+-} 2.2 kJ/g-atom in a 49.0:51.0 ({+-}0.5 at. %) Fe:Pt film. For FePt{sub 3}, which is the most Pt rich intermetallic phase, the measured enthalpy of formation was -23.7 {+-} 2.2 in a film with a composition of 22.2:77.8 ({+-}0.6 at. %) Fe:Pt. The reaction enthalpies for films with Fe:Pt compositions of 44.5:55.5 ({+-}0.3 at. %) and 38.5:61.5 ({+-}0.4 at. %) were -26.9 {+-} 1.0 and -26.6 {+-} 0.6 kJ/g-atom, respectively, which taken together with the value for the 49.0:51.0 film demonstrate the relative insensitivity of the reaction enthalpy to film composition over a broad composition range in the vicinity of the equiatomic composition. The experimental heats of formation are compared with two sets of reported first-principles calculated values for each of the three phases at exact stoichiometry.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

PT quantum mechanics - Recent results

Most quantum physicists believe that a quantum-mechanical Hamiltonian must be Dirac Hermitian (invariant under matrix transposition and complex conjugation) to be sure that the energy eigenvalues are real and that time evolution is unitary. However, the non-Dirac-hermitian Hamiltonian H p{sup 2}+ix{sup 3} has a real positive discrete spectrum and generates unitary time evolution and defines a fully consistent and physical quantum theory. Evidently, Dirac Hermiticity is too restrictive. While H = p{sup 2}+ix{sup 3} is not Dirac Hermitian, it is PT symmetric (invariant under combined space reflection P and time reversal T). Another PT-symmetric Hamiltonian whose energy levels are real, positive and discrete is H = p{sup 2}-x{sup 4}, which contains an upside-down potential. The quantum mechanics defined by a PT-symmetric Hamiltonian is a complex generalization of ordinary quantum mechanics. When quantum mechanics and quantum field theory are extended into the complex domain, new kinds of theories having strange and remarkable properties emerge. In the past two years some of these properties have been verified in laboratory experiments. Here, we first discuss PT-symmetric Hamiltonians at a simple intuitive level and explain why the energy levels of such Hamiltonians may be real, positive, and discrete. Second, we describe a recent experiment in which the PT phase transition was observed. Third, we briefly mention that PT-symmetric theories can be useful at a fundamental level. While the double-scaling limit of an O(N)-symmetric g{phi}{sup 4} quantum field theory appears to be inconsistent because the critical value of g is negative, this limit is in fact not inconsistent because the critical theory is PT symmetric.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

Kinetics of chemical ordering in a Ag-Pt nanoalloy particle via first-principles simulations

The energetics and kinetic energy barriers of vacancy/atom exchange in a 37-atom truncated octahedron Ag-Pt binary cluster in the Ag-rich range of compositions are investigated via a first-principles atomistic approach. The energy of the local minima obtained considering various distributions of a single vacancy and a few Pt atoms within the cluster and the energy barriers connecting them are evaluated using accurate density-functional calculations. The effects of the simultaneous presence of a vacancy and Pt atoms are found to be simply additive when their distances are larger than first-neighbors, whereas when they can be stabilizing at low Pt content due to the release of strain by the Pt/vacancy interaction or destabilizing close to a perfect Pt(core)/Ag(shell) arrangement. It is found that alloying with Pt appreciably increases the barriers for homotops transformations, thus rationalizing the issues encountered at the experimental level in producing Ag-Pt equilibrated nanoparticles and bulk phase diagram.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Transition voltages of vacuum-spaced and molecular junctions with Ag and Pt electrodes

The transition voltage of vacuum-spaced and molecular junctions constructed with Ag and Pt electrodes is investigated by non-equilibrium Green's function formalism combined with density functional theory. Our calculations show that, similarly to the case of Au-vacuum-Au previously studied, the transition voltages of Ag and Pt metal-vacuum-metal junctions with atomic protrusions on the electrode surface are determined by the local density of states of the p-type atomic orbitals of the protrusion. Since the energy position of the Pt 6p atomic orbitals is higher than that of the 5p/6p of Ag and Au, the transition voltage of Pt-vacuum-Pt junctions is larger than that of both Ag-vacuum-Ag and Au-vacuum-Au junctions. When one moves to analyzing asymmetric molecular junctions constructed with biphenyl thiol as central molecule, then the transition voltage is found to depend on the specific bonding site for the sulfur atom in the thiol group. In particular agreement with experiments, where the largest transition voltage is found for Ag and the smallest for Pt, is obtained when one assumes S binding at the hollow-bridge site on the Ag/Au(111) surface and at the adatom site on the Pt(111) one. This demonstrates the critical role played by the linker-electrode binding geometry in determining the transition voltage of devices made of conjugated thiol molecules.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Beneficial compressive strain for oxygen reduction reaction on Pt (111) surface

We investigated the influence of compressive surface strain on the progression of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on Pt(111) surface using the density functional theory (DFT) calculation method. Specifically, we calculated the binding energies of all the chemical species possibly involved in ORR and the reaction energies (heat of reaction and activation energy) of all the possible ORR elementary reactions on the Pt(111) surfaces with −2% and −3% strain. Our DFT results indicate that all the ORR species bind more weakly on the compressively strained surfaces than on an unstrained surface owing to strain-induced d-electron band broadening. Our DFT calculations further predict that both OOH dissociation and HOOH dissociation pathways could be active for ORR on the Pt(111) surface with compressive strain between −2% and −3%. Moreover, the activation energies of the ORR rate-determining steps on the compressively strained Pt(111) surfaces were found to be lower than that on the unstrained Pt(111) surface. It was thus inferred that a −2% to −3% surface strain could lead to enhanced ORR activity on the Pt(111) catalysts. Consequently, our study suggests that tuning surface strain is an effective way to improve the performance of Pt-based electrocatalysts for ORR.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗