Interfacial Effects in Iron-Nickel Hydroxide–Platinum Nanoparticles Enhance Catalytic Oxidation

Improving Reactions at Interfaces Alloying precious metals such as platinum with more abundant transition metals, such as iron and nickel, can both improve their catalytic reactivity and lower catalyst cost. Chen et al. (p. 495 ) explored using coatings of iron oxide–hydroxide layers on supported platinum nanoparticles for CO oxidation. The presence of this layer allowed the reaction to run rapidly at room temperature by bringing together different reaction sites on the two metals. The addition of nickel improved catalyst lifetime, and an oxidative transformation created a more complex nanoparticle morphology that increased platinum utilization.