Breaking Ordered Atomic Arrangement into Disordered Amorphous Structure for High Electrocatalytic Performance

Noble metal-based intermetallic compounds (IMCs) with ordered atomic arrangements exhibit remarkable electrocatalytic activity owing to their unique crystal and electronic structures. During the past years, great advance has been made in the development of noble metal-based IMCs. Recently, Lu and coworkers reported ultrathin “amorphous/intermetallic” (A/IMC) heterophase PtPbBi nanosheets (NSs) with a thickness of 2.5 ± 0.3 nm. The oxidative etching effect caused by the coexistence of O₂ and Br^‒ ions plays a crucial role in the formation of the IMC and unique two-dimensional structure with irregular shapes and curled edges. This study shows that fabricating an A/IMC heterophase structure with a multimetallic composition can effectively enhance the catalytic performances of noble metal-based electrocatalysts.