Electrochemical synthesis of core-shell nanoparticles by seed-mediated selective deposition

• Published in: Chemical science (Cambridge) Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. 13557 - 13563
• Main Authors: Park, Joon Ho, Jin, Seon-Mi, Lee, Eunji, Ahn, Hyun S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 20-10-2021; The Royal Society of Chemistry
• Subjects: Catalysis; Chemical evolution; Chemical synthesis; Chemistry; Core-shell particles; Electrocatalysts; Metal shells; Nanoparticles; Surfactants; Transition metals
• ISSN: 2041-6520; 2041-6539
• DOI: 10.1039/d1sc03625d

Conventional solvothermal synthesis of core-shell nanoparticles results in them being covered with surfactant molecules for size control and stabilization, undermining their practicality as electrocatalysts. Here, we report an electrochemical method for the synthesis of core-shell nanoparticles directly on electrodes, free of surfactants. By implementation of selective electrodeposition on gold cores, 1
st
-row transition metal shells were constructed with facile and precise thickness control. This type of metal-on-metal core-shell synthesis by purely electrochemical means is the first of its kind. The applicability of the nanoparticle decorated electrodes was demonstrated by alkaline oxygen evolution catalysis, during which the Au-Ni example displayed stable catalysis with low overpotential.
Core-shell nanoparticles can be synthesized by pure electrochemical methods, and the size of the core and the thickness of the shell can be precisely controlled. The nanoparticle-decorated electrodes exhibited respectable oxygen evolution catalysis.