Advanced Catalysts Derived from Composition-Segregated Platinum-Nickel Nanostructures: New Opportunities and Challenges

Composition segregation, resulting from the rearrangement of atom positions and different enrichment behaviors of different atoms in alloys, has been linked to their enhanced performances in catalytic applications due to the strong electronic effect and largely improved number of available active sites. Hence, composition-segregated metallic nanostructures have been actively pursued to prepare better-performing nanocatalysts. Moreover, they also act as an emerging platform to develop unusual nanostructures with desirable functionalities. An overview about the recent advances in preparing unusual nanostructures with desirable functionalities such as highly open 3D structures (concave, frame, porous, etc.) and composites with suitable interfaces (metal-metal, metal-oxide, metal-sulfide, metal-boride, metal-organic, metal-hydroxide interfaces, etc.) based on composition-segregated metallic nanostructures which can boost heterogeneous catalytic reactions with superior performances is provided here. The different strategies developed so far for the synthesis of composition-segregated metallic nanostructures are also discussed. Finally, the challenges of the composition-segregated nanostructure and their functionalized materials are discussed, as well as some perspectives are highlighted on the fine regulation and multifunctionalities of nanostructures, which provide a powerful material foundation for the potential electrocatalysis, organic catalysis, and energy conversion of multicomponent metal nanostructures.