Breakthrough in Nanotechnology: Efficient Screening of Multi-Metallic Catalysts

A team of researchers at the University of Bern has made a significant breakthrough in the field of nanotechnology, developing a new approach to efficiently screen the composition-activity correlation of electrodeposited multi-metallic and high entropy alloy (HEA) nanoparticles. The study, published in the Faraday Discussions journal, explores the Pd-Ag-Au composition subspace for the alkaline Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) and provides valuable insights for the development of optimized multi-metallic catalysts.

Key Takeaways:

• The researchers used a medium-throughput approach to screen the composition-activity correlation of electrodeposited multi-metallic and HEA nanoparticles, resulting in a composition-activity correlation model constructed using Gaussian Process Regression (GPR).
• The experimental results showed that the Pd-Ag-Au alloy nanoparticles synthesized electrochemically exhibited optimal composition around PdAgAu for the ORR.
• The study demonstrated the utility of computational screening for multi-metallic systems, with experimental and density functional theory (DFT)-derived models showing partial overlap.
• The research was supported by the European Research Council and highlights the importance of collaborative efforts between experimental and computational approaches in advancing nanotechnology.
• The key contributors to the study include Menglong Liu, Divyansh Gautam, Christian M. Clausen, Ahmad Tirmidzi, Gustav K. H. Wiberg, Jan Rossmeisl, and Matthias Arenz.

Statistics:

• 107 individual measurements were taken to evaluate the composition-activity correlation of the Pd-Ag-Au alloy nanoparticles.
• The researchers applied the medium-throughput approach to explore the Pd-Ag-Au composition subspace for the ORR.
• The study demonstrated the potential of computational screening for multi-metallic systems, with experimental and DFT-derived models showing partial overlap.
• The Alkaline Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) was explored in the context of the Pd-Ag-Au composition subspace.

Sources:

• Electrochemical synthesis of high entropy nanoparticles and the exploration of the Pd-Ag-Au composition space for the oxygen reduction reaction. Faraday Discussions, 2025.
• Royal Soc Chemistry, Thomas Graham House, Science Park, Milton Rd, Cambridge CB4 0WF, Cambs, England.
• The University of Bern, Dept. of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland.
• NewsRx. Findings from University of Bern Broaden Understanding of Nanoparticles (Electrochemical synthesis of high entropy nanoparticles and the exploration of the Pd-Ag-Au composition space for the oxygen reduction reaction). Nanotechnology Weekly. October 13, 2025; p 1010.