Synthesis and characterization of size-selected platinum clusters through scanning transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical methods

Harrison, Patrick James ORCID: 0000-0001-9798-8710 (2020). Synthesis and characterization of size-selected platinum clusters through scanning transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical methods. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Platinum nanoparticles have a key role in today's society as catalysts for pharmaceutical applications and in the energy industry. As we strive to move away from fossil fuels, alternative energy sources suitable for mobile applications such as hydrogen fuel cells are becoming increasingly important. Platinum and its variants are currently the best-known catalysts for the electrocatalytic production of hydrogen and oxygen reduction reactions, which are important for energy storage applications and the operation of hydrogen fuel cells; this makes platinum the de facto catalyst for the hydrogen economy. One of the current setbacks on the road towards a carbon neutral society is the cost of alternative energies, where noble metal catalysts account for a significant proportion of the cost.
This thesis focuses on well-defined platinum nanoparticles, small enough that they are referred to as clusters of atoms. Platinum clusters were produced using physical methods and mass-selected before deposition to achieve high homogeneity. Electrochemical techniques and aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy have been utilised to characterise the clusters en masse and at the atomic scale. The hydrogen evolution performance of these clusters has been evaluated, which revealed a performance benefit with potential conditioning. Ex-situ imaging reveals that cluster migration and coalescence is affected by the anodic potential limit of the conditioning procedure. The results in this thesis have implications for the design and stability of future catalysts.

Type of Work: Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)
Award Type: Doctorates > Ph.D.
Supervisor(s):
Supervisor(s)EmailORCID
Guo, Quaminq.guo@bham.ac.ukUNSPECIFIED
Wain, A. J.andy.wain@npl.co.ukUNSPECIFIED
Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
College/Faculty: Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Engineering & Physical Sciences
School or Department: School of Physics and Astronomy
Funders: Other
Other Funders: National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 0LW
Subjects: Q Science > QC Physics
URI: http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/10454

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