Platinum-decorated Au porous nanotubes as highly efficient catalysts for formic acid electro-oxidation

Au porous nanotubes (PNTs) were synthesized by a templating technique that involves the chemical synthesis of Ag nanowire precursors, electroless surface modification with Au, and selective etching. A subsequent galvanic replacement reaction between [PtCl(6)](2-) and residual Ag generates Pt-decorated Au porous nanotubes (Pt/Au PNTs), which represents a new type of self-sustained high surface area electrocatalysts with ultra-low Pt loading. Structural characterizations with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) reveal a novel nanoarchitecture with multimodal open porosity and excellent structural continuity and integrity. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) demonstrates that these Pt/Au PNTs possess very high electrocatalytic activity toward formic acid oxidation with enhanced tolerance to CO poisoning.