Methanol oxidation at single platinum nanoparticles

The methanol oxidation reaction is studied at the single nanoparticle scale under aqueous alkaline conditions. Upon impacting a potentiostated electrode and after ≤ 1 ms steady-state limited catalytic current induced to occur platinum (nominal diameter 50 nm); magnitude of close that seen for both larger arrays nanoparticles polycrystalline ‘bulk’ material suggesting entity activity preserved in ensembles nanoparticles. This rate reaches maximum potential + 0.05 V (vs Ag/AgCl; 3.4 M KCl) with density 0.3 ± 0.2 mA cm−2. However, very short timescales (<1 ms) response reveals occurrence an initial rapid charge injection event. consistent one-electron monolayer prior establishment steady-state.