Issue 15, 2015

Core–shell-structured nanoporous PtCu with high Cu content and enhanced catalytic performance

Abstract

A core–shell-structured bimetallic nanoporous PtCu catalyst with a high non-noble metal content (Cu: ∼55 at%) and uniformly distributed ultrafine ligaments (∼3 nm) is fabricated by one-step dealloying a well-designed Pt4Cu21Mn75 single-phase ternary precursor in 1 M (NH4)2SO4 aqueous solution. The one-step dealloying involves a two-step corrosion process: one is fast dealloying the most active Mn from the ternary alloy to form nanoporous PtCu and the next step is a slow dealloying process which would slowly dissolve Cu from the PtCu alloy ligament surface forming a core–shell-structured nanoporous PtCu alloy with a Pt shell and a PtCu alloy core. Electrochemical measurements manifest that the core–shell-structured nanoporous PtCu exhibits greatly enhanced catalytic activity towards the electro-oxidation of methanol and formic acid compared with both nanoporous Pt and the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst. With evident advantages of facile preparation and enhanced catalytic performance, the nanoporous core–shell-structured PtCu catalyst is very promising as an anode catalyst in fuel cells. Moreover, this strategy (i.e., dealloying well-designed Mn-based ternary alloys) can also be used to fabricate other uniform nanoporous core–shell-structured alloys such as the nanoporous NiCu alloy.

Graphical abstract: Core–shell-structured nanoporous PtCu with high Cu content and enhanced catalytic performance

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Jan 2015
Accepted
06 Mar 2015
First published
06 Mar 2015

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015,3, 7939-7944

Core–shell-structured nanoporous PtCu with high Cu content and enhanced catalytic performance

H.-J. Qiu, H. T. Xu, X. Li, J. Q. Wang and Y. Wang, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, 3, 7939 DOI: 10.1039/C5TA00020C

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