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Nano Research 2018, 11(1): 499-510 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-017-1658-4
Research Article | Issue | Published: 07 June 2017

Ultrathin AgPt alloy nanowires as a high-performance electrocatalyst for formic acid oxidation

Show Author's Information Xian Jiang1,§,  Gengtao Fu1,§,  Xia Wu1,  Yang Liu1,  Mingyi Zhang2,  Dongmei Sun1,  Lin Xu1( ),  Yawen Tang1( )
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power BatteriesJiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Materials ScienceNanjing Normal UniversityNanjing210023China
Key Laboratory for Photonic and Electronic Bandgap MaterialsMinistry of EducationSchool of Physics and Electronic EngineeringHarbin Normal UniversityHarbin150025China

§ Xian Jiang and Gengtao Fu contributed equally to this work.

Keywords:
oriented attachment, AgPt alloy, ultrathin nanowire, formic acid oxidation, electrocatalyst
Cite this article:
Jiang X, Fu G, Wu X, et al. Ultrathin AgPt alloy nanowires as a high-performance electrocatalyst for formic acid oxidation. Nano Research, 2018, 11(1): 499-510. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-017-1658-4
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

To address the insufficient electrocatalytic activity and stability of formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) electrocatalysts, as well as their high cost, we herein demonstrate the facile hydrothermal synthesis of ultrathin AgPt alloy nanowires using amine-terminated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM-NH2) as a structure-directing agent. The initial generation of AgCl precipitates, subsequent formation of AgPt nanoparticles, and their oriented attachment account for the formation of ultrathin AgPt alloy nanowires. Benefiting from their unique 1D anisotropy and alloyed composition, the prepared ultrathin AgPt nanowires exhibit a superior electrocatalytic activity and better CO tolerance for the FAOR, reaching a 1.6-fold and 3.7-fold higher specific current density than AgPt nanoparticles and a commercial Pt black catalyst, respectively. Additionally, the ultrathin AgPt alloy nanowires manifest a superior electrochemical stability and structural robustness during electrocatalysis, making them a promising FAOR electrocatalyst. This work not only provides a reliable strategy for the synthesis of noble metal-based ultrathin nanowires, but also opens an avenue towards the rational design of efficient electrocatalysts for fuel cell systems.


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Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Ultrathin AgPt alloy nanowires as a high-performance electrocatalyst for formic acid oxidation

Show Author's information Xian Jiang1,§, Gengtao Fu1,§, Xia Wu1, Yang Liu1, Mingyi Zhang2, Dongmei Sun1, Lin Xu1( ), Yawen Tang1( )
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power BatteriesJiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Materials ScienceNanjing Normal UniversityNanjing210023China
Key Laboratory for Photonic and Electronic Bandgap MaterialsMinistry of EducationSchool of Physics and Electronic EngineeringHarbin Normal UniversityHarbin150025China

§ Xian Jiang and Gengtao Fu contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

To address the insufficient electrocatalytic activity and stability of formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) electrocatalysts, as well as their high cost, we herein demonstrate the facile hydrothermal synthesis of ultrathin AgPt alloy nanowires using amine-terminated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM-NH2) as a structure-directing agent. The initial generation of AgCl precipitates, subsequent formation of AgPt nanoparticles, and their oriented attachment account for the formation of ultrathin AgPt alloy nanowires. Benefiting from their unique 1D anisotropy and alloyed composition, the prepared ultrathin AgPt nanowires exhibit a superior electrocatalytic activity and better CO tolerance for the FAOR, reaching a 1.6-fold and 3.7-fold higher specific current density than AgPt nanoparticles and a commercial Pt black catalyst, respectively. Additionally, the ultrathin AgPt alloy nanowires manifest a superior electrochemical stability and structural robustness during electrocatalysis, making them a promising FAOR electrocatalyst. This work not only provides a reliable strategy for the synthesis of noble metal-based ultrathin nanowires, but also opens an avenue towards the rational design of efficient electrocatalysts for fuel cell systems.

Keywords: oriented attachment, AgPt alloy, ultrathin nanowire, formic acid oxidation, electrocatalyst

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Publication history
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Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 18 March 2017
Revised: 24 April 2017
Accepted: 30 April 2017
Published: 07 June 2017
Issue date: January 2018

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2017

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21503111, 21576139 and 21376122) and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (No. 16KJB150020). The authors also thank National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and a project sponsored by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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