Tuning Pt–Cu nanostructures by bromide ions and their superior electrocatalytic activities for methanol oxidation reaction

• DOI: 10.1007/s11051-018-4417-x
• Publication Date: 2018-11-12T12:32:55Z
• Authors: Ning Sui; Ke Wang; Qiang Bai; Lina Wang; Tao Wang; Hailian Xiao; Manhong Liu; Vicki L. Colvin; Qingbo Zhang; William W. Yu
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 0104 chemical sciences

Dendritic Pt–Cu nanoparticles were synthesized by a facile one-step method with the help of surfactant Brij58 at room temperature, and we also studied the effects of different Pt–Cu ratios on the morphology and size of nanoparticles. In addition, we further tuned the morphology of the Pt–Cu nanostructures by introducing bromide ions, eventually leading to the appearance of some tripod-like structures. Compared with dendritic Pt–Cu and commercial Pt black, these tripod-like Pt–Cu nanostructures exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity and CO tolerance for catalyzing methanol oxidation.