Shape effect of Pt nanocrystals on electrocatalytic hydrogenation

Shape-controlled platinum nanocrystals have various surface atomic structures depending on their shapes. We used cubic, cuboctahedra, and dendritic Pt nanoparticles to investigate the effect of shape on selectivity in electrocatalytic reactions. As a model reaction, we used electrocatalytic hydrogenation of 2-cyclohexenone. The surface-capping agents of the nanoparticles were removed by electrochemical activation, and subsequently each shape of nanoparticle exhibited characteristic H adsorption/desorption peaks consistent with the corresponding single-crystalline surface. 2-Cyclohexenone was electrocatalytically hydrogenated to cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol, and the selectivity showed a dependence on the shape of the nanocrystals, resulting from the distinct surface atomic structures. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.