Manipulating the d Band Electronic Structure of Platinum Functionalized Nanoporous Gold Bowls: Synergistic Intermetallic Interactions Enhance Catalysis
Bicontinuous nanoporous gold (NPG) is a high performance catalyst characterized by its excellent electrochemical stability and immense active surface area with high electrolyte accessibility. However, the intrinsic catalytic activity of NPG is still lower compared to other metals (such as Pt) thus impeding its applicability in a commercial catalytic system. Herein, we incorporate secondary Pt metal with inherently strong catalytic activities into a zero dimensional (0D) nanoporous gold bowl (NPGB) to develop Pt NPGB bimetallic catalyst. Our strategy effectively exploits the highly accessible surface area of NPGB and the manipulative d band electronic structure brought about by the synergistic intermetallic interaction for enhanced catalytic performance and durability. Deposition of Pt on the NPGB catalyst directly modulates its d band electronic structure, with the electronic energy of Pt NPGBs tunable between 3.93 to 4.24, approximating that of chemically resistant gold 4.35 eV) This is vital to we.