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Trimetallic PtRhNi alloy nanoassemblies as highly active electrocatalyst for ethanol electrooxidation

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Abstract

Although nanostructures based on noble metal alloys are widely utilized in (electro)catalysis, their low-temperature synthesis remains an enormous challenge due to the different Nernst equilibrium potentials of metal precursors. Herein, we describe the successful synthesis of trimetallic PtRhNi alloy nanoassemblies (PtRhNi-ANAs) with tunable Pt/Rh ratios using a simple mixed cyanogel reduction method and provide a detailed characterization of their chemical composition, morphology, and structure. Additionally, the electrochemical properties of PtRhNi-ANAs are examined by cyclic voltammetry, revealing composition-dependent electrocatalytic activity in the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Compared to a commercial Pt black electrocatalyst, optimized Pt3Rh1Ni2-ANAs display remarkably enhanced EOR electrocatalytic performance in alkaline media.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge financial support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21473111 and 21376122), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. GK201602002), Innovation Foundation of Shenzhen Government (No. JCYJ20160408173202143), the Joint Fund of Energy Storage of Qingdao (No. 20160012), and the Fundamental Research Funds of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Nos. 3004013109 and 0118013089). We acknowledge the support of Analytical and Testing Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology for SEM and XPS measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Devices, Shaanxi Engineering Lab for Advanced Energy Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, 620 Changan Road, Xi’an, 710062, China

    Huimin Liu & Yu Chen

  2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Jiahui Li & Yawen Tang

  3. A key laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage, Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Lijuan Wang & Bao Yu Xia

  4. Shenzhen Institute of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 9 Yuexing Road, Shenzhen, 518000, China

    Bao Yu Xia

Authors
  1. Huimin Liu
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  2. Jiahui Li
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  3. Lijuan Wang
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  4. Yawen Tang
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  5. Bao Yu Xia
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  6. Yu Chen
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Correspondence to Yawen Tang, Bao Yu Xia or Yu Chen.

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Liu, H., Li, J., Wang, L. et al. Trimetallic PtRhNi alloy nanoassemblies as highly active electrocatalyst for ethanol electrooxidation. Nano Res. 10, 3324–3332 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-017-1545-z

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