Xianmeng Song, Linzhe Lü, Yanyan Jia, Zhiyi Wang, Zi-Ang Nan, Yu-Hao Hong, Daliang Chen, Qiuyue Zhang, Jiahong Jiang, Yanping Zheng, Jiajia Xu, Zufeng Qiu, Qiaorong Jiang, Yanjie Wang, Qiuxiang Wang, Sheng Dai, Haixin Lin, Zipeng Zhao, Mingshu Chen, Zhaoxiong Xie, Zhong-Qun Tian, Feng Ru Fan
Palladium hydrides (PdH x ) are pivotal in both fundamental research and practical applications across a wide spectrum. PdH x nanocrystals, synthesized by heating in dimethylformamide (DMF), exhibit remarkable stability, granting them widespread applications in the field of electrocatalysis. However, this stability appears inconsistent with their metastable nature. The substantial challenges in characterizing nanoscale structures contribute to the limited understanding of this anomalous phenomenon. Here, through a series of well-conceived experimental designs and advanced characterization techniques, including aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC-STEM), in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), we have uncovered evidence that indicates the presence of C and N within the lattice of Pd (PdC x N y ), rather than H (PdH x )...
April 29, 2024: Journal of the American Chemical Society