Engineering one-dimensional and hierarchical PtFe alloy assemblies towards durable methanol electrooxidation

Abstract

The development of highly effective and robust alloy electrocatalysts is urgently needed for the commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells. In this work, one-dimensional PtFe alloy nanostructures were synthesized by a facile one-pot synthesis method for durable and efficient methanol oxidation. The formation of such hierarchical alloy architectures was derived from the different reduction thermodynamics of metal precursors. Benefiting from the structure and composition advantages, the synthesized PtFe alloy electrocatalyst showed specific and mass activities of 5.26 mA cm_Pt⁻² and 1.65 A mg_Pt⁻¹, respectively. Moreover, the novel catalyst exhibited an improved stability compared with the benchmark commercial PtRu/C and Pt/C catalysts. This work not only provides a promising stable Pt alloy catalyst candidate but more importantly represents a superior path to design active and durable alloys integrated with well-defined microstructures and desired morphologies for future practical energy conversion technologies.