An Advanced Undergraduate Experiment for Identifying the Intrinsic Activity of Electrocatalyst at the Single Nanoparticle Level

Abstract

Clarifying the relationship between the electrocatalytic activity and the electrocatalyst structure at the single nanoparticle (NP) level remains challenging because the presented data are usually averaged out due to the ensemble systems. Herein, a research-style laboratory experiment of single nanoparticle collision electrochemistry (SNCE) that identifies the electrocatalytic activity of a single nanoparticle (NP) is developed for undergraduate students. Compared with the averaged results from the classical ensemble electrochemical measurements, our SNCE experiments measure the intrinsic activities of individual Au NPs and Au@Pt NPs toward methanol oxidation, thus discriminating the inhomogeneity and heterogeneity among NPs. The SNCE practice helps students quantify the structure–activity relationship of electrocatalysts at the single NP level, which is critical for designing highly efficient electrocatalysts. This laboratory experiment is simple and could be adapted for advanced undergraduates majoring in materials and chemical science.