title: Activation of aluminum as an effective reducing agent by pitting corrosion for wet-chemical synthesis.
abstract: Metallic aluminum (Al) is of interest as a reducing agent because of its low standard reduction potential. However, its surface is invariably covered with a dense aluminum oxide film, which prevents its effective use as a reducing agent in wet-chemical synthesis. Pitting corrosion, known as an undesired reaction destroying Al and is enhanced by anions such as F⁻, Cl⁻, and Br⁻ in aqueous solutions, is applied here for the first time to activate Al as a reducing agent for wet-chemical synthesis of a diverse array of metals and alloys. Specifically, we demonstrate the synthesis of highly dispersed palladium nanoparticles on carbon black with stabilizers and the intermetallic Cu₂Sb/C, which are promising candidates, respectively, for fuel cell catalysts and lithium-ion battery anodes. Atomic hydrogen, an intermediate during the pitting corrosion of Al in protonic solvents (e.g., water and ethylene glycol), is validated as the actual reducing agent.
authors: Electrochemical Energy Laboratory, Materials Science and Engineering Program, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Li
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Cochell
authors: Arumugam
authors: A
authors: Manthiram
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