In situ coating of a continuous mesoporous bimetallic PtRu film on Ni foam: a nanoarchitectured self-standing all-metal mesoporous electrode

Abstract

The fabrication of continuous mesoporous Pt-based alloy films is very important for electrochemical energy conversion. Herein, we propose an extremely simple soaking method for achieving in situ fabrication of a continuous mesoporous PtRu film on macroporous Ni foam (mPtRu–NF). Owing to its continuous mesoporous structure and bi-metallic compositions, the mPtRu–NF exhibits high activity and durability for both the oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction. Furthermore, when the mPtRu–NF was used as a binder-free air electrode for rechargeable Zn–air batteries (ZABs), it shows superior electrochemical performance. Being very different from previous complex de-alloying or template-based approaches, this method provides a truly simple way for achieving direct fabrication of mesoporous metallic films on metallic substrates. The proposed one-step method is readily available for scale-up fabrication of continuous mesoporous Pt-based films on metallic substrates with designed compositions and desired performances.