A novel multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and polypyrrole (PPy) composite was found to be useful for preparing durable Pt nanoparticle catalysts of highly regulated sizes. A new pyrene-functionalized Pt4 complex was attached to the MWCNT surface which was functionalized with PPy matrix to yield Pt4 complex/PPy/MWCNT composites without decomposition of the Pt4 complex units. The attached Pt4 complexes in the composite were transformed into Pt0 nanoparticles with sizes of 1.0–1.3 nm at a Pt loading range of 2 to 4 wt %. The Pt nanoparticles in the composites were found to be active and durable catalysts for the N-alkylation of aniline with benzyl alcohol. In particular, the Pt nanoparticles with PPy matrix exhibited high catalyst durability in up to four repetitions of the catalyst recycling experiment compared with nonsize-regulated Pt nanoparticles prepared without PPy matrix. These results demonstrate that the PPy matrix act to regulate the size of Pt nanoparticles, and the PPy matrix also offers stability for repeated usage for Pt nanoparticle catalysis.

A SiO2-supported molecularly imprinted Pd complex with SiO2-matrix overlayers was prepared as a Suzuki cross-coupling catalyst. A ligand on the supported Pd complex was used as a molecular imprinting template to create the reaction space. The structures of the supported and molecularly imprinted Pd complexes on SiO2 were determined by solid-state MAS 13C, 29Si, and 31P NMR; diffuse reflectance UV/vis; XPS; and Pd K-edge XAFS. The catalytic performance of the molecularly imprinted Pd complex catalyst was very different for various combinations of aryl iodides and arylboronic acids. Reactants with bulky substituent groups were hindered on the imprinted catalyst in Suzuki cross-coupling reactions.

The degradation of Pt electrocatalysts in membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) of polymer electrolyte fuel cells under working conditions is a serious problem for their practical use. Here we report the kinetics and mechanism of redox reactions at the surfaces of Pt/C and Pt3Co/C cathode electrocatalysts during catalyst degradation processes by an accelerated durability test (ADT) studied by operando time-resolved X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. Systematic analysis of a series of Pt LIII-edge time-resolved XAFS spectra measured every 100 ms at different degradation stages revealed changes in the kinetics of Pt redox reactions on Pt/C and Pt3Co/C cathode electrocatalysts. In the case of Pt/C, as the number of ADT cycles increased, structural changes for Pt redox reactions (charging, surface, and subsurface oxidation) became less sensitive because of the agglomeration of catalyst particles. It was found that their rate constants were almost constant independent of the agglomeration of the Pt electrocatalyst. On the other hand, in the case of Pt3Co/C, the rate constants of the redox reactions of the cathode electrocatalyst gradually reduced as the number of ADT cycles increased. The differences in the kinetics for the redox processes would be differences in the degradation mechanism of these cathode electrocatalysts.

Decarbonylation-promoted Ru nanoparticle formation from Ru3(CO)12 on a basic K-doped Al2O3 surface was investigated by in situ FT-IR and in situ XAFS. Supported Ru3(CO)12 clusters on K-doped Al2O3 were converted stepwise to Ru nanoparticles, which catalyzed the selective hydrogenation of nitriles to the corresponding primary amines via initial decarbonylation, the nucleation of the Ru cluster core, and the growth of metallic Ru nanoparticles on the surface. As a result, small Ru nanoparticles, with an average diameter of less than 2 nm, were formed on the support and acted as efficient catalysts for nitrile hydrogenation at 343 K under hydrogen at atmospheric pressure. The structure and catalytic performance of Ru catalysts depended strongly on the type of oxide support, and the K-doped Al2O3 support acted as a good oxide for the selective nitrile hydrogenation without basic additives like ammonia. The activation of nitriles on the modelled Ru catalyst was also investigated by DFT calculations, and the adsorption structure of a nitrene-like intermediate, which was favourable for high primary amine selectivity, was the most stable structure on Ru compared with other intermediate structures.

The account article treats with the characterizations of the structural and electronic transformations of Pt/C, Pt3Co/C, and Pt3Ni/C cathode electrocatalysts in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) involving Pt charging/discharging, Pt–O bond formation/breaking, and Pt–Pt bond breaking/reformation in cathode potential-jump processes and the rate constants of those transformations in the surface reaction sequences on the cathode electrocatalysts by in situ time-resolved X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) method. Spatially heterogeneous issue and mechanism for the Pt oxidation and degradation of Pt/C cathode electrocatalyst layers in PEFCs under the operating conditions, which should be uncovered for development of next-generation PEFCs, were also characterized by a scanning nano-XAFS mapping method and a laminography-XAFS method, respectively for 2D and 3D visualizations of Pt chemical species in Pt/C cathode electrocatalyst layers. These XAFS techniques provided new insights into critical issues affecting the performance and property of practical PEFCs under the operating conditions.

The transitional states of a Pt/C cathode electrocatalyst in the membrane electrode assembly of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell during loading with transient voltages were systematically analyzed by in situ time-resolved X-ray absorption fine structure with time resolution of 100 ms. The results suggest that the local coordination of the Pt cathode electrocatalyst was unaffected by the transient voltages during both rapid and gradual loading over 0–30 s.

Rate enhancement of the selective oxidation of hexoses was achieved on an ethynylpyridine (EPy)-functionalized Pt/Al2O3 catalyst. Host–guest interaction between the EPy ligand and a hexose sugar reactant produced a complex with induced chirality on the catalyst surface.

Ru nanoclusters (average diameter = 1.3 ± 0.3 nm) were successfully prepared by using a Ru3 cluster Ru3O(CH3COO)6(H2O)3·(CH3COO) grafted on a pyridine-functionalized SiO2 surface. The pyridine moiety dispersed on the SiO2 surface spread the Ru3 cluster, controlling its surface density, and the nanoclusterization of the Ru cluster proceeded on the surface. The structures of the Ru nanoclusters were characterized by means of elemental analysis; thermogravimetric analysis; FT-IR, UV/vis, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy; BET analysis; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; X-ray diffraction; transmission electron microscopy; and Ru K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure analysis. It was found that the catalytic activity for the selective oxidation of alcohol to the corresponding aldehyde using O2 highly depended on the dispersion and structures of the Ru particles, and the Ru nanocluster was found to be efficient in the selective oxidation of a variety of alcohols.

The structural kinetics of surface events on a Pt/C cathode catalyst in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with a practical catalyst loading (0.5 mgPt cm−2) for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell were investigated by in situ time-resolved X-ray absorption fine structure analysis (XAFS; time resolution: 100 ms) for the first time. The rate constants of structural changes in the Pt/C cathode catalyst in the MEA during voltage cycling were successfully estimated. For voltage-cycling processes, all reactions (electrochemical reactions and structural changes in the Pt catalyst) in the MEA were found to be much faster than those in an MEA with a thick cathode catalyst layer, but the in situ time-resolved XAFS analysis revealed that significant time lags similarly existed between the electrochemical reactions and the structural changes in the Pt cathode catalyst. The time-resolved XAFS also revealed differences in the structural kinetics of the Pt/C cathode catalyst for the voltage-cycling processes under N2 and air flows at the cathode.

In situ time-resolved X-ray absorption fine structure spectra of Pt/C, Pt3Co/C, and Pt3Ni/C cathode electrocatalysts in membrane electrode assemblies (catalyst loading: 0.5 mgmetal cm–2) were successfully measured every 100 ms for a voltage cycling process between 0.4 and 1.0 V. Systematic analysis of in situ time-resolved X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra in the molecular scale revealed the structural kinetics of the Pt and Pt3M (M = Co, Ni) bimetallic cathode catalysts under polymer electrolyte fuel cell operating conditions, and the rate constants of Pt charging, Pt–O bond formation/breaking, and Pt–Pt bond breaking/re-formation relevant to the fuel cell performances were successfully determined. The addition of the 3d transition metals to Pt reduced the Pt oxidation state and significantly enhanced the reaction rates of Pt discharging, Pt–O bond breaking, and Pt–Pt bond re-forming in the reductive process from 1.0 to 0.4 V.

The structural kinetics of surface events on a Pt/C cathode catalyst in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with a practical catalyst loading (0.5 mgPt cm−2) for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell were investigated by in situ time-resolved X-ray absorption fine structure analysis (XAFS; time resolution: 100 ms) for the first time. The rate constants of structural changes in the Pt/C cathode catalyst in the MEA during voltage cycling were successfully estimated. For voltage-cycling processes, all reactions (electrochemical reactions and structural changes in the Pt catalyst) in the MEA were found to be much faster than those in an MEA with a thick cathode catalyst layer, but the in situ time-resolved XAFS analysis revealed that significant time lags similarly existed between the electrochemical reactions and the structural changes in the Pt cathode catalyst. The time-resolved XAFS also revealed differences in the structural kinetics of the Pt/C cathode catalyst for the voltage-cycling processes under N2 and air flows at the cathode.

Decarbonylation-promoted Ru nanoparticle formation from Ru3(CO)12 on a basic K-doped Al2O3 surface was investigated by in situ FT-IR and in situ XAFS. Supported Ru3(CO)12 clusters on K-doped Al2O3 were converted stepwise to Ru nanoparticles, which catalyzed the selective hydrogenation of nitriles to the corresponding primary amines via initial decarbonylation, the nucleation of the Ru cluster core, and the growth of metallic Ru nanoparticles on the surface. As a result, small Ru nanoparticles, with an average diameter of less than 2 nm, were formed on the support and acted as efficient catalysts for nitrile hydrogenation at 343 K under hydrogen at atmospheric pressure. The structure and catalytic performance of Ru catalysts depended strongly on the type of oxide support, and the K-doped Al2O3 support acted as a good oxide for the selective nitrile hydrogenation without basic additives like ammonia. The activation of nitriles on the modelled Ru catalyst was also investigated by DFT calculations, and the adsorption structure of a nitrene-like intermediate, which was favourable for high primary amine selectivity, was the most stable structure on Ru compared with other intermediate structures.

Ru nanoclusters (average diameter = 1.3 ± 0.3 nm) were successfully prepared by using a Ru3 cluster Ru3O(CH3COO)6(H2O)3·(CH3COO) grafted on a pyridine-functionalized SiO2 surface. The pyridine moiety dispersed on the SiO2 surface spread the Ru3 cluster, controlling its surface density, and the nanoclusterization of the Ru cluster proceeded on the surface. The structures of the Ru nanoclusters were characterized by means of elemental analysis; thermogravimetric analysis; FT-IR, UV/vis, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy; BET analysis; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; X-ray diffraction; transmission electron microscopy; and Ru K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure analysis. It was found that the catalytic activity for the selective oxidation of alcohol to the corresponding aldehyde using O2 highly depended on the dispersion and structures of the Ru particles, and the Ru nanocluster was found to be efficient in the selective oxidation of a variety of alcohols.

Rate enhancement of the selective oxidation of hexoses was achieved on an ethynylpyridine (EPy)-functionalized Pt/Al2O3 catalyst. Host–guest interaction between the EPy ligand and a hexose sugar reactant produced a complex with induced chirality on the catalyst surface.

A SiO2-supported molecularly imprinted Pd complex with SiO2-matrix overlayers was prepared as a Suzuki cross-coupling catalyst. A ligand on the supported Pd complex was used as a molecular imprinting template to create the reaction space. The structures of the supported and molecularly imprinted Pd complexes on SiO2 were determined by solid-state MAS 13C, 29Si, and 31P NMR; diffuse reflectance UV/vis; XPS; and Pd K-edge XAFS. The catalytic performance of the molecularly imprinted Pd complex catalyst was very different for various combinations of aryl iodides and arylboronic acids. Reactants with bulky substituent groups were hindered on the imprinted catalyst in Suzuki cross-coupling reactions.