In this paper, we present a simple and facile strategy to prepare highly uniform Pd–Pt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) with different Pt/Pd molar ratios on 1-pyrenecarboxylic acid (PCA) decorated graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs). The binary composition of these Pd–Pt/GNPs catalysts is controlled by simply adjusting the molar ratio of the Pd and Pt precursors. The obtained catalysts were characterized by ultraviolet-visible light (UV-vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The HRTEM measurements show that all of the metallic NPs exhibit well-defined crystalline structures. Both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) demonstrate that the Pd₁Pt₃/GNPs catalyst has the highest catalytic activity towards methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) among the Pd–Pt/GNPs with different compositions studied. Moreover, the Pd₁Pt₃/GNPs catalyst markedly outperforms Pt/GNPs and the commercial Pt/C-JM catalyst in terms of both MOR activity and stability. The present method represents a simple and general approach to synthesizing bimetallic Pt-M electrocatalysts on an alternative carbon support, which is expected to find applications in fuel cells.

Inorganic acids are commonly used in mining, metallurgical, metal-processing, and nuclear-fuel-reprocessing industries in various processes, such as leaching, etching, electroplating, and metal-refining. Large amounts of spent acidic liquids containing toxic metal ion complexes are produced during these operations, which pose a serious hazard to the living and non-living environment. Developing economic and eco-friendly regeneration approaches to recover acid and valuable metals from these industrial effluents has focused the interest of the research community. Diffusion dialysis (DD) using anion exchange membranes (AEMs) driven by an activity gradient is considered an effective technology with a low energy consumption and little environmental contamination. In addition, the properties of AEMs have an important effect on the DD process. Hence, this paper gives a critical review of the properties of AEMs, including their acid permeability, membrane stability, and acid selectivity during the DD process for acid recovery. Furthermore, the DD processes using AEMs integrated with various technologies, such as pressure, an electric field, or continuous operation are discussed to enhance its potential for industrial applications. Finally, some directions are provided for the further development of AEMs in DD for acid recovery from acidic waste solutions.

A novel Pt/Ce_0.7Mo_0.3O_2−δ–C electrocatalyst has been developed for methanol oxidation. A direct methanol fuel cell integrating this catalyst as the anode catalyst showed superior power density compared to that with a state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C-JM catalyst.

In the search for alternatives to conventional Pt electrocatalysts, we synthesized a series of graphene nanoplate (GNP)-supported Pt₃Cu₁ nanocrystals (NCs), possessing almost the same composition but different morphologies to probe their electrochemical properties as a function of morphology for the ethanol oxidation reaction. The morphology of the Pt₃Cu₁ catalysts could be systematically evolved from dendritic (D-Pt₃Cu₁/GNPs) to wire-like (W-Pt₃Cu₁/GNPs) and spherical (Pt₃Cu₁/GNPs) by only varying pH of the reaction solution. The as-prepared Pt₃Cu₁ catalysts were subsequently characterized using a suite of techniques including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to verify not only their morphologies and chemical compositions but also the incorporation of Cu into the Pt lattice, as well as physical structure and integrity. Gratifyingly, the three Pt₃Cu₁ catalysts exhibited superior electrocatalytic properties for the ethanol oxidation compared to the monometallic Pt/GNPs and Pt/C-JM (Johnson Matthey), with the activities, durabilities and anti-poisonous abilities following the order Pt₃Cu₁/GNPs < W-Pt₃Cu₁/GNPs < D-Pt₃Cu₁/GNPs.

A porous Pt₁Cu₁ alloy nanocrystal catalyst supported on 1-aminopyrene functionalized graphene nanoplates, which is a highly active catalyst for methanol oxidation in alkaline medium, is synthesized by a one-step method without any high boiling point organic solvents, surfactants, stabilizers and templates.