Electrocatalyst Preparation by Electrodeposition

Abstract

This article reviews electrocatalyst preparation by electrodeposition. The emphasis is put mainly upon tuning the surface and electronic structures of nanocrystal electrocatalysts by electrochemical methods, and discussing their structure–catalytic functionality and potential applications. Various polyhedra of metal (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au, etc.) and their alloy electrocatalysts of high surface energy (tetrahexahedron, trisoctahedron, trapezohedron, hexoctahedron, triambic icosahedron, concave-disdyakis triacontahedron, etc.), and those of low surface energy (cube, octahedron, icosahedron, decahedron, tetrahedron, etc.), as well as other nanostructures like one-dimensional (nanowire, nanorod, nanoneedle, nanotube), two-dimensional (nanoplate and nanosheet), and three-dimensional (flower-like and clusters), have been synthesized by electrochemical methods including square-wave potential, pulsed potential, cyclic voltammetry, potentiostatic, and galvanostatic methods. Thanks to the high density of low-coordinated step, ledge, and kink atoms on high-index facets that enclosed the polyhedral nanocrystals of high surface energy, the electrocatalysts of high surface energy exhibit excellent properties in small organic molecules (methanol, ethanol, formic acid, etc.) electrooxidation, CO2 and oxygen reduction reactions.