Synthesis of PtSn4 Intermetallic Nanodisks through a Galvanic Replacement Mechanism

Intermetallic compounds with ordered crystal structures are attractive materials with extensive applications in many fields. PtSn4, the most Sn-rich Pt-Sn intermetallic compound discovered so far, has special physical and catalytical properties because of the Sn-Pt-Sn layered crystal structure. However, studies on the property of PtSn4 have been limited to the single crystal due to the lack of success in preparing PtSn4 nanomaterials. Here, starting from Sn nanoparticles, we demonstrated the preparation of monodisperse pure-phase PtSn4 intermetallic nanodisks (PtSn4 NDs) based on a galvanic replacement mechanism. The structure of the as-synthesized PtSn4 NDs was carefully characterized and analyzed. A systematic study on the PtSn4 formation mechanism and kinetics confirms that the galvanic replacement mechanism governs the formation of PtSn4 NDs. In electrocatalytic furfural reduction, PtSn4 NDs effectively suppress the major competitive hydrogen evolution reaction and show faradaic efficiency superior to Pt nanoparticles.

Automated summary

PtSn4, the most Sn-rich Pt-Sn intermetallic compound discovered so far, has been limited to single crystal studies due to the lack of success in preparing PtSn4 nanomaterials. This study successfully synthesized monodisperse pure-phase PtSn4 intermetallic nanodisks and revealed the formation mechanism and kinetics of PtSn4. In electrocatalytic furfural reduction, PtSn4 exhibits better catalytic performance than Pt.