Apparatus and Method for the Synthesis and Treatment of Metal Monolayer Electrocatalyst Particles

The cylinder electrode, here the cathode, is immersed in a cell with a slurry of nanoparticles. On rotation, the nanoparticles collide with the cylinder and become charged. This facilitates the deposition of monolayers of copper or other metals onto their surface. A platinum anode may be located in the same cell or separated from the slurry. In one example use, copper is plated onto the nanoparticles by underpotential deposition. The excess copper solution is then rinsed away, a suspension is created by adding an acid, and platinum ions in the solution displace the copper, forming an atomically thin coating.

A relatively simple electrochemical cell employs a rotating cylinder electrode and a slurry of nanoparticles to coat the nanoparticles with an atomically thin layer of metal. The apparatus can be scaled up easily.

Fabrication of nanoparticles with atomically thin coating layers.