Electronic structure of nanoscale Cu/Pt alloys: A combined X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption investigations

PVP-protected Cu/Pt clusters were prepared by glycol/water reduction method and characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and absorption spectra. TEM and XRD analysis show that the Cu/Pt clusters with different molar ratio have fcc structure with particle size of about 4 nm, while the lattice parameters in these clusters reduce with increasing Cu concentration. From the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) at Cu-K edge and Pt-L2,3 edge, we demonstrate that the d-electronic states of Cu and Pt are affected by the local environment as a function of Cu/Pt molar ratio. With increasing Cu concentration, Pt loses a fraction of 5d electrons and the hybridization between p- and d-states at Cu sites is enhanced.