Intermetallic PtBi core/ultrathin Pt shell nanoplates for efficient and stable methanol and ethanol electro-oxidization

The development of Pt-based core/shell nanoparticles represents an emerging class of electrocatalysts for fuel cells, such as methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Here, we present a one-pot synthesis approach to prepare hexagonal PtBi/Pt core/shell nanostructure composed of an intermetallic Pt₁Bi₁ core and an ultrathin Pt shell with well-defined shape, size, and composition. The structure and the synergistic effect among different components enhanced their MOR and EOR performance. The optimized Pt₂Bi nanoplates exhibit excellent mass activities in both MOR (4, 820 mA·mg_Pt^–1) and EOR (5, 950 mA·mg_Pt^–1) conducted in alkaline media, which are 6.15 times and 8.63 times higher than those of commercial Pt/C, respectively. Pt₂Bi nanoplates also show superior operation durability to commercial Pt/C. This work may inspire the rational design and synthesis of Pt-based nanoparticles with improved performance for fuel cells and other applications.