In-situ observation of the annealing of Pt islands into branched Ru nanostructures to make single-atom catalysts

Gatan instrument used

The K3^® IS camera delivers simultaneous low-dose imaging via real-time electron counting, fast continuous data capture, and a large field of view.

Background

Platinum (Pt) is one of the most active metals for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), but it suffers from catalyst poisoning due to strongly adsorbed CO as an intermediate. Designing platinum-ruthenium (PtRu) electrocatalysts with structural durability and high activity will significantly impact the performance of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), as Ru atoms decrease CO poisoning of the active Pt. To combine the exceptional activity of single-atom Pt catalysts with the benefits of an active metal support, we must overcome the synthetic challenge of forming single Pt atoms on noble metal surfaces. Here, we have developed a process that grows and spreads Pt islands on faceted Ru branched nanoparticles to make a single Pt atom on Ru catalysts.