1-Naphthol induced Pt3Ag nanocorals as bifunctional cathode and anode catalysts of direct formic acid fuel cells
writer：Jiang, X (Jiang, Xian)[ 1,2 ] ; Liu, Y (Liu, Yang)[ 2 ] ; Wang, JX (Wang, Jiaxin)[ 2 ] ; Wang, YF (W
keywords：Pt3Ag alloy; nanocorals; bifunctional electrocatalyst; oxygen reduction reaction; formic acid oxidation
source：期刊
specific source：NANO RESEARCH
Issue time：2019年
Developing highly efficient bifunctional cathode and anode electrocatalysts is very important for the large-scale application of direct formic acid fuel cells. However, the high-cost and poor
CO-tolerance ability of the most commonly used Pt greatly block this process. To increase the utilization efficiency and extend bifunctional properties of precious Pt, herein, coral-like Pt3Ag nanocrystals are developed as an excellent bifunctional electrocatalyst through a facile one-pot solvothermal method. The formation mechanism of Pt3Ag nanocorals has been elaborated well via a series of control experiments. It is proved that 1-naphthol serving as a guiding surfactant plays a key role in the formation of high-quality nanocorals. Thanks to the unique coral-like structure and alloy effects, the developed Pt3Ag nanocorals present significantly enhanced electrocatalytic properties (including activity, stability and CO-tolerance ability) towards both the cathodic oxygen reduction and anodic formic acid oxidation, as compared with those of commercial Pt black and Pt-based nanoparticles. The present synthetic method can also be extended to fabricate other bimetallic electrocatalysts with unique morphology and structure.