Activated platinum in gallium-based room-temperature liquid metals for enhanced reduction reactions

• Published in: RSC advances Vol. 13; no. 43; pp. 3273 - 328
• Main Authors: Manyuan, Nichayanan, Kawasaki, Hideya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 11.10.2023; The Royal Society of Chemistry
• Subjects: Aqueous solutions; Catalysis; Catalytic activity; Chemical reactions; Chemical reduction; Chemistry; Deposition; Gallium; Hydrogen production; Liquid metals; Methylene blue; Platinum; Room temperature
• ISSN: 2046-2069; 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/d3ra06571e

Room-temperature gallium-based liquid metals (LMs) have recently attracted significant attention worldwide for application in catalysis because of their unique combination of fluidic and catalytic properties. Platinum loading in LMs is expected to enhance the catalytic performance of various reaction systems. However, Pt-loaded methods for Ga-based LMs have not yet been sufficiently developed to improve the catalytic performance and Pt utilization efficiency. In this study, a novel method for the fabrication of Pt-incorporated LMs using Pt sputter deposition (Pt(dep)-LMs) was developed. The Pt(dep)-LMs contained well-dispersed Pt flakes with diameters of 0.89 ± 0.6 μm. The catalytic activity of the Pt(dep)-LM with a Pt loading of ∼0.7 wt% was investigated using model reactions such as methylene blue (MB) reduction and hydrogen production in an acidic aqueous solution. The Pt(dep)-LMs showed a higher MB reduction rate (three times) and hydrogen production (three times) than the LM loaded with conventional Pt black (∼0.7 wt%). In contrast to the Pt(dep)-LMs, solid-based Ga with a Pt loading of ∼0.7 wt% did not catalyze the reactions. These results demonstrate that Pt activation occurred in the Pt(dep)-LMs fabricated by Pt sputtering, and that the fluidic properties of the LMs enhanced the catalytic reduction reactions. Thus, these findings highlight the superior performance of the Pt deposition method and the advantages of using Pt-LM-based catalysts. Pt-incorporated liquid metal using Pt sputter deposition was developed, showing high catalytic activity on methylene blue reduction and hydrogen production in an acidic aqueous solution.