Displacement plating of a mesoporous Pt skin onto Co nanochains in a low-concentration surfactant solution

Mesoporous Pt skins on Co nanochains are successfully synthesized by a displacement reaction between Pt species and a Co support with the assistance of surfactant micelles. The assembly of surfactant micelles on Co nanochains plays a key role in the formation of mesoporous Pt layers. The evolution of the mesoporous Pt layers is carefully studied at different time intervals. As the reaction time increases, the mesoporous Pt layers become thicker, and well-defined mesoporous structures gradually develop. The obtained mesoporous Pt skin exhibits high activity and superior CO tolerance in the electro-oxidation reaction of methanol. The mesoporous Pt skin also shows very high durability, and only a 20.2 % loss of the Pt electrochemical surface area is found even after a harsh durability test.