Facile synthesis of porous PtBiTe nanoplates with high C1 pathway selectivity and robust resistance to CO poisoning for the ethanol oxidation reaction

Abstract

Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) have received widespread attention due to their simple construction, low operating temperature, high conversion efficiency, high energy density, and being free of pollution. The sluggish kinetics, low C₁ pathway selectivity, and poor resistance to CO poisoning, however, remain great challenges for their development. In this work, porous PtBiTe nanoplates (PtBiTe NPs) with an average lateral size of 309.5 nm and an average thickness of 14.6 nm were facilely synthesized in aqueous solution at room temperature by using Bi₂Te₃ nanoplate templates. The two-dimensional porous structure exposes a large number of Pt active sites and has excellent structural stability. The introduction of Bi and Te modifies the electronic structure of Pt, weakens the energy barrier of the potential-determining step of the C₁ pathway, reduces the energy barrier of CO oxidation, and decreases the number of oxidized Pt atoms. PtBiTe NPs show excellent activity and stability, high C₁ pathway selectivity, and robust resistance to CO poisoning toward the ethanol oxidation reaction in alkaline electrolyte, much superior to the commercial Pt/C catalysts.