Structure Sensitivity in Catalytic Hydrogenation at Platinum Surfaces Measured by Shell-Isolated Nanoparticle Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SHINERS)

Abstract

The in situ combination of electrochemistry and shell-isolated nanoparticle enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) has been used for the first time to investigate the surface structure sensitivity of asymmetric catalytic hydrogenation at single-crystal Pt electrodes. The adsorption and hydrogenation behavior of aqueous ethyl pyruvate (EP) at a range of modified and unmodified Pt{hkl} electrodes was measured both by cyclic voltammetry and by recording Raman spectra at hydrogen evolution potentials. Two primary surface intermediates were observed, including the previously reported half-hydrogenation state (HHS), formed by addition of a hydrogen atom to the keto carbonyl group, as well as a new species identified as intact chemisorbed EP bound in a μ2(C,O) configuration. The relative populations of these two species were sensitive to the Pt surface structure; whereas the μ2(C,O) EP adsorbate was dominant at pristine Pt{111} and Pt{100}, the HHS was only observed at these electrodes after the introduction of d...