High CO tolerance of Pt/Fe/Fe2O3 nanohybrid thin film suitable for methanol oxidation in alkaline medium

Abstract

The toluene–water interface has traditionally been employed to prepare particle assemblies and films of metals and semiconductors. The interface between water and an organic liquid, however, has not been investigated sufficiently for possible use in preparing nanocrystals and thin films of magnetic alloys. In this article, we demonstrate the use of the liquid–liquid interface as a medium for preparing ultrathin films of magnetic Pt/Fe/Fe₂O₃ nanohybrid catalysts for methanol electrooxidation in NaOH medium. The resulting Pt/Fe/Fe₂O₃ hybrid catalyst shows the highest activity and CO tolerance (j_f/j_b = 8.09) among all other catalysts that were tested up to now toward methanol electrooxidation. The results reported in this article demonstrate the versatility and potential of the liquid–liquid interface for preparing nanomaterials and ultrathin films and encourage further research in this area.