Pt–MoO3–RGO ternary hybrid hollow nanorod arrays as high-performance catalysts for methanol electrooxidation

Abstract

Here we design and synthesize novel Pt–MoO₃–RGO (reduced graphene oxide) ternary hybrid hollow nanorod arrays (HNRAs) as anode catalysts for methanol electrooxidation. These fabricated Pt–MoO₃–RGO HNRAs have highly dispersive MoO₃, RGO, and Pt nanocrystals (∼3 nm), which leads to rich heterogeneous interfaces and strong synergistic effects among Pt, MoO₃ and RGO. The Pt–MoO₃–RGO HNRAs exhibit a high electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of 71.20 m² per (g, Pt), which is much higher than those of Pt–MoO₃ HNRAs (34.23 m² per (g, Pt)) and commercial Pt/C catalysts (52.89 m² per (g, Pt)). Because of the strong synergistic effects and structural advantages, these Pt–MoO₃–RGO HNRAs show much enhanced electrocatalytic activity, durability and CO anti-poisoning ability compared with Pt–MoO₃ HNRAs and commercial Pt/C catalysts. Besides, the electrocatalytic activity of Pt–MoO₃–RGO HNRAs also exceeds those of many Pt-based catalysts reported in the literature. Our finding demonstrates the importance of the interfacial and structural effects in harnessing the true electrocatalytic potential of Pt-based catalysts and will open up new strategies for the development of high-performance catalysts for methanol electrooxidation.