Tuning the High‐Temperature Wetting Behavior of Metals toward Ultrafine Nanoparticles

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 57; no. 10; pp. 2625 - 2629
• Main Authors: Zhou, Yubing, Natarajan, Bharath, Fan, Yanchen, Xie, Hua, Yang, Chunpeng, Xu, Shaomao, Yao, Yonggang, Jiang, Feng, Zhang, Qianfan, Gilman, Jeffrey W., Hu, Liangbing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.03.2018
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: Aluminum oxide; Carbon; Carbon fibers; Carbon sources; dispersion; Energy storage; Metals; Nanofibers; Nanoparticles; Oxide coatings; Particle size distribution; Platinum; Size distribution; Substrates; Synthesis; aluminum oxide; platinum; nanoparticles; dispersion
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201712202

The interaction between metal nanoparticles (NPs) and their substrate plays a critical role in determining the particle morphology, distribution, and properties. The pronounced impact of a thin oxide coating on the dispersion of metal NPs on a carbon substrate is presented. Al2O3‐supported Pt NPs are compared to the direct synthesis of Pt NPs on bare carbon surfaces. Pt NPs with an average size of about 2 nm and a size distribution ranging between 0.5 nm and 4.0 nm are synthesized on the Al2O3 coated carbon nanofiber, a significant improvement compared to those directly synthesized on a bare carbon surface. First‐principles modeling verifies the stronger adsorption of Pt clusters on Al2O3 than on carbon, which attributes the formation of ultrafine Pt NPs. This strategy paves the way towards the rational design of NPs with enhanced dispersion and controlled particle size, which are promising in energy storage and electrocatalysis. The pronounced impact of a thin oxide coating on the dispersion of metal NPs on a carbon substrate is presented. Al2O3‐supported Pt NPs are compared to the direct synthesis of Pt NPs on bare carbon surfaces. Pt NPs (average size ca. 2 nm, size distribution 0.5–4.0 nm) are synthesized on the Al2O3 coated carbon nanofiber. A significant improvement was established compared to those directly synthesized on a bare carbon surface.