Assessing the Catalytic Behavior of Platinum Group Metal-Based Ultrathin Nanowires Using X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Ultrathin metal-based nanowires have excelled as electrocatalysts in small-molecule reactions, such as the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), and the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR), and have consistently outperformed analogous Pt/C standards. As such, a detailed understanding of the structural and electronic properties of ultrathin nanowires is essential in terms of understanding structure–property correlations, which are crucial in the rational design of ever more sophisticated electrocatalysts. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) represents an important and promising characterization technique with which to acquire unique insights into the electronic structure and the local atomic structure of nanomaterials. Herein, we discuss tangible examples of how both ex situ and in situ XAS experiments have been recently applied to probing the complex behavior of ultrathin nanowires used in electrocatalysis. Moreover, based on this precedence, we provide ideas about the future potential and direction of these ongoing efforts.