Electrochemical synthesis and reactivity screening of a ternary composition gradient for combinatorial discovery of fuel cell catalysts

This paper describes a method for synthesis of multi-component gradient libraries for combinatorial catalyst discovery. A ‘gel-transfer’ synthesis method is demonstrated that involves localized diffusion of aqueous precursor metal salts into a hydrated gel to establish spatially varying concentration fields. Electrodeposition is then used to transfer the gradient in metal precursors to a surface. To illustrate the utility of this method, a platinum–ruthenium–rhodium (Pt x Ru y Rh z ) catalyst gradient was constructed, and its reactivity towards several fuel cell reactions evaluated. An optical screening technique based upon the pH-sensitive fluorescence of quinine was used to visualize the spatial onset of reactivity on the ternary catalyst gradient. The evolution of protons from several reactions of interest for low temperature fuel cells was visualized by quinine fluorescence. The oxidation of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methanol and ethanol were tested on the catalyst library. Catalyst regions that exhibited fluorescence (and hence the onset of activity) at lowest potentials were identified for each of the above reactions.