Synergistic growth of nickel and platinum nanoparticles via exsolution and surface reaction.

Xu, Min; Jeon, Yukwon; Naden, Aaron; Kim, Heesu; Kerherve, Gwilherm; Payne, David J; Shul, Yong-Gun; Irvine, John T S · Nat Commun · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Bimetallic catalysts combining precious and earth-abundant metals in well designed nanoparticle architectures can enable cost efficient and stable heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we present an interaction-driven in-situ approach to engineer finely dispersed Ni decorated Pt nanoparticles (1-6 nm) on perovskite nanofibres via reduction at high temperatures (600-800 <sup>o</sup>C). Deposition of Pt (0.5 wt%) enhances the reducibility of the perovskite support and promotes the nucleation of Ni cations via metal-support interaction, thereafter the Ni species react with Pt forming alloy nanoparticles, with the combined processes yielding smaller nanoparticles that either of the contributing processes. Tuneable uniform Pt-Ni nanoparticles are produced on the perovskite surface, yielding reactivity and stability surpassing 1 wt.% Pt/γ-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts for CO oxidation. This approach heralds the possibility of in-situ fabrication of supported bimetallic nanoparticles with engineered compositional distributions and performance.