Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Properties of H2SO4-Induced (100) Pt Nanoparticles Prepared in Water-in-Oil Microemulsion

The increasing number of applications for shape-controlled metal nanoparticles (NPs) has led to the need for easy, cheap, and scalable methodologies. We report the synthesis of (100) preferentially oriented Pt NPs, with a particle size of 9 nm, by using a water-in-oil microemulsion method. The specific surface structure of the NPs is induced by the presence of H2SO4 in the water phase of the microemulsion. Interestingly, the results reported herein show how increasing amounts of H2SO4 lead to the formation of Pt NPs containing a larger amount of (100) sites on their surface. This preferential surface orientation is confirmed electrochemically by using the so-called hydrogen adsorption/desorption process. In addition, transmission electron microscopy measurements confirm the presence of cubic-like Pt NPs. Finally, the electrocatalytic properties of the Pt NPs are evaluated towards ammonia and CO electro-oxidations, which are (100) structure-sensitive reactions