The Potential-Dependent Structure of Pt<sub>3</sub>Ni Alloy Electrocatalysts and Its Effect on Electrocatalytic Activity

  • Hassan Javed*
  • , Kees Kolmeijer
  • , Nipon Deka
  • , Matthijs A. van Spronsen
  • , Marijn A. van Huis
  • , Athira Lekshmi Mohandas Sandhya
  • , Ivan Khalakhan
  • , Rik V. Mom*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The distribution of elements within alloy nanoparticles is a critical parameter for their electrocatalytic performance. Here, we use the case of a Pt3Ni alloy to show that this elemental distribution can dynamically respond to the applied potential, leading to strongly potential-dependent catalytic properties. Starting from the Pt3Ni core and Pt shell structure that forms in acid electrolyte due to Ni leaching, our electrochemical X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that the Ni atoms can be reversibly moved between the core of the particles and the near-surface region using the applied potential. Through potential jump measurements, we show that this Ni migration modulates the hydrogen evolution reaction activity of the particles by over 30%. These observations highlight the potential of incorporating in situ restructuring of alloys as the final step in electrocatalyst design.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12994–13002
Number of pages9
JournalACS Catalysis
Volume15
Issue number15
Early online date15 Jul 2025
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society

Keywords

  • Alloy electrocatalyst
  • Platinum-nickel electrocatalyst
  • Spectro-electrochemistry
  • X-ray absorption spectroscopy
  • X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

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