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Research Article

Pt3Ag alloy wavy nanowires as highly effective electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reaction

Xiaoyang Fu1, Chengzhang Wan1, Aixin Zhang1, Zipeng Zhao2, Huaixun Huyan3, Xiaoqing Pan3,4,5, Shuaijing Du1, Xiangfeng Duan1,6( ), Yu Huang2,6( )
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
Irvine Materials Research Institute (IMRI), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
California Nanosystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
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Abstract

Direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) has received tremendous research interests because of the more convenient storage and transportation of ethanol vs. compressed hydrogen. However, the electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation reaction typically requires precious metal catalysts and is plagued with relatively high over potential and low mass activity. Here we report the synthesis of Pt3Ag alloy wavy nanowires via a particle attachment mechanism in a facile solvothermal process. Transmission microscopy studies and elemental analyses show highly wavy nanowire structures with an average diameter of 4.6 ± 1.0 nm and uniform Pt3Ag alloy formation. Electrocatalytic studies demonstrate that the resulting alloy nanowires can function as highly effective electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reactions (EOR) with ultrahigh specific activity of 28.0 mA/cm2 and mass activity of 6.1 A/mg, far exceeding that of the commercial Pt/carbon samples (1.10 A/mg). The improved electrocatalytic activity may be partly attributed to partial electron transfer from Ag to Pt in the Pt3Ag alloy, which weakens CO binding and the CO poisoning effect. The one-dimensional nanowire morphology also contributes to favorable charge transport properties that are critical for extracting charge from catalytic active sites to external circuits. The chronoamperometry studies demonstrate considerably improved stability for long term operation compared with the commercial Pt/C samples, making the Pt3Ag wavy nanowires an attractive electrocatalyst for EOR.

Keywords

platinumsilveralloywavy nanowireselectrocatalysisethanol oxidation reaction (EOR)

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Nano Research
Volume 13 Issue 5,
May 2020
Pages 1472-1478
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-020-2754-4
Cite this article:
Fu X, Wan C, Zhang A, et al. Pt3Ag alloy wavy nanowires as highly effective electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reaction. Nano Research, 2020, 13(5): 1472-1478. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-020-2754-4
Topics:
Binary alloysDirect ethanol fuel cells (DEFC)ElectrocatalystsEthanol fuelsFuel storageNanowiresOxidationPlatinum alloysUranium alloys

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Received: 28 December 2019
Revised: 20 February 2020
Accepted: 10 March 2020
Published: 07 April 2020
© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
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