Voltage effects on the stability of Pd ensembles in Pd-Au/Au(111) surface alloys

Stephen E. Weitzner, Ismaila Dabo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The catalytic performance of multimetallic electrodes is often attributed to a beneficial combination of ligand, strain, and ensemble effects. Understanding the influence of the electrochemical environment on the stability of the alloy surface structure is thus a crucial component to the design of highly active and durable electrocatalysts. In this work, we study the effects of an applied voltage to electrocatalytic Pd-Au/Au(111) surface alloys in contact with a model continuum electrolyte. Using planewave density functional theory, two-dimensional cluster expansions are parameterized and used to simulate dilute Pd-Au surface alloys under electrochemical conditions via Metropolis Monte Carlo within an extended canonical ensemble. While Pd monomers are stable at all potentials considered, different extents of surface electrification are observed to promote the formation of Pd dimers and trimers, as well as clusters of Pd monomers. We find that the relative proportion of monomer, dimer, and trimer surface fractions is in good agreement with in situ scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. The further development and refinement of the approaches described herein may serve as a useful aid in the development of next-generation electrocatalysts.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number041715
JournalJournal of Chemical Physics
Volume150
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 28 2019

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Voltage effects on the stability of Pd ensembles in Pd-Au/Au(111) surface alloys'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this