Papers by Author: Velimir Radmilović

Abstract: Mesoporous carbon cryogel synthesized by sol-gel polycondensation and freeze-drying with specific surface area (BET) of 517 m2 g-1 was used as a catalyst support. Pt/C catalysts were prepared by a modified ethylene glycol method (EG). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that the dispersion of the catalyst is very uniform with a mean particle size of about 2.65 nm. Hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) was studied on Pt/C catalyst in 0.5 mol dm-3 HClO4 acid solution. It has been found that HOR appears as a reversible two-electron direct discharged reaction (Tafel slope for this reaction is ≈30mV dec-1) and that Pt/C catalyst exhibits a very high catalytic activity. However, the corresponding value of the exchange current density obtained by dividing the exchange current by the active surface area of Pt particles has the same order of magnitude as those for the HOR in acidic solution at single crystal and polycrystalline Pt.

Abstract: The formic acid oxidation on Pt/Ru nanoparticles in acid solution over the temperature range 298-333 K has been studied by thin-film rotating disk method (RDE). Transmission electron microscopy in combination with scanning tunneling microscopy was used to determine the size (4.3 ± 0.3 nm) and shape (cuboctahedral) of the particles. Kinetic analysis revealed that at elevated temperatures (313 K, 333 K) the reaction rate is much higher than at room temperature (295 K), indicating that formic acid oxidation on supported Pt/Ru catalyst is a highly activated process. Based on experimental kinetic parameters we propose that the HCOOH oxidation on the PtRu alloy most likely follows a dual pathway, but the branching ratio is still very high, i.e. Pt-like. The principal effect of opening the dehydration channel at steady-state (via the presence of Ru in the surface) is to lower the coverage of COads on Pt sites and permit the dehydrogenation path to increase in rate.

Abstract: We show that it is possible to use high rate co-evaporation of Al and Si onto room temperature substrates to achieve a novel two-phase nanoscale microstructure. These nanocomposites have a hardness as high as 4GPa (Al-23at.%Si), and display noticeable plasticity. Films with compositions of Al-12at.%Si and pure Al (used as baseline) were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The scale of the Al-12at.%Si microstructure is an order of magnitude finer compared to that of pure Al films. It consists of a dense distribution of spherical nanoscale Si particles separating irregularly-shaped small Al grains. These new structures may have a mechanical performance advantage over conventional single phase nanomaterials due to the role of the dispersed hard phase in promoting strain hardening.