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Pt3Ag alloy wavy nanowires as highly effective electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reaction

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Abstract

Direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) has received tremendous research interests because of the more convenient storage and transportation of ethanol vs. compressed hydrogen. However, the electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation reaction typically requires precious metal catalysts and is plagued with relatively high over potential and low mass activity. Here we report the synthesis of Pt3Ag alloy wavy nanowires via a particle attachment mechanism in a facile solvothermal process. Transmission microscopy studies and elemental analyses show highly wavy nanowire structures with an average diameter of 4.6 ± 1.0 nm and uniform Pt3Ag alloy formation. Electrocatalytic studies demonstrate that the resulting alloy nanowires can function as highly effective electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reactions (EOR) with ultrahigh specific activity of 28.0 mA/cm2 and mass activity of 6.1 A/mg, far exceeding that of the commercial Pt/carbon samples (1.10 A/mg). The improved electrocatalytic activity may be partly attributed to partial electron transfer from Ag to Pt in the Pt3Ag alloy, which weakens CO binding and the CO poisoning effect. The one-dimensional nanowire morphology also contributes to favorable charge transport properties that are critical for extracting charge from catalytic active sites to external circuits. The chronoamperometry studies demonstrate considerably improved stability for long term operation compared with the commercial Pt/C samples, making the Pt3Ag wavy nanowires an attractive electrocatalyst for EOR.

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Acknowledgements

X. F. D. acknowledges support from National Science Foundation award 1800580. Y. H. acknowledges support from Office of Naval Research grant N000141812155. X. Q. P. acknowledge the support from the National Science Foundation award DMR-1506535. HAADF imaging and EDS mapping were carried out using the JEOL Grand ARM in the Irvine Materials Research Institute at the University of California, Irvine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA

    Xiaoyang Fu, Chengzhang Wan, Aixin Zhang, Shuaijing Du & Xiangfeng Duan

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA

    Zipeng Zhao & Yu Huang

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, 92697, USA

    Huaixun Huyan & Xiaoqing Pan

  4. Irvine Materials Research Institute (IMRI), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, 92697, USA

    Xiaoqing Pan

  5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, 92697, USA

    Xiaoqing Pan

  6. California Nanosystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA

    Xiangfeng Duan & Yu Huang

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  1. Xiaoyang Fu
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Correspondence to Xiangfeng Duan or Yu Huang.

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Fu, X., Wan, C., Zhang, A. et al. Pt3Ag alloy wavy nanowires as highly effective electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reaction. Nano Res. 13, 1472–1478 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-020-2754-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-020-2754-4

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