Self-Supported PtAuP Alloy Nanotube Arrays with Enhanced Activity and Stability for Methanol Electro-Oxidation

Lili Zhang; Liang-Xin Ding; Hongbin Chen; Dongdong Li; Suqing Wang; Haihui Wang

doi:10.1002/smll.201604000

Self-Supported PtAuP Alloy Nanotube Arrays with Enhanced Activity and Stability for Methanol Electro-Oxidation

Small. 2017 May;13(17). doi: 10.1002/smll.201604000. Epub 2017 Feb 21.

Authors

Lili Zhang¹, Liang-Xin Ding¹, Hongbin Chen¹, Dongdong Li¹, Suqing Wang¹, Haihui Wang¹

Affiliation

¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, No. 381 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510640, China.

PMID: 28221722
DOI: 10.1002/smll.201604000

Abstract

Inhibiting CO formation can more directly address the problem of CO poisoning during methanol electro-oxidation. In this study, 1D self-supported porous PtAuP alloy nanotube arrays (ANTAs) are synthesized via a facile electro-codeposition approach and present enhanced activity and improved resistance to CO poisoning through inhibiting CO formation (non-CO pathway) during the methanol oxidation reaction in acidic medium. This well-controlled Pt-/transition metal-/nonmetal ternary nanostructure exhibits a specific electroactivity twice as great as that of PtAu alloy nanotube arrays and Pt/C. At the same time, PtAuP ANTAs show a higher ratio of forward peak current density (I_f ) to backward peak current density (I_b ) (2.34) than PtAu ANTAs (1.27) and Pt/C (0.78). The prominent I_f /I_b value of PtAuP ANTAs indicates that most of the intermediate species are electro-oxidized to carbon dioxide in the forward scan, which highlights the high electroactivity for methanol electro-oxidation.

Keywords: PtAuP alloy; electrocatalysts; methanol oxidation reaction; nanotube arrays; non-CO pathway.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't