Composition Modulation of Pt-Based Nanowire Electrocatalysts Enhances Methanol Oxidation Performance

Composition modulation is an efficient strategy for improving the performance of Pt-based electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cells. Unfortunately, a robust route for the composition modulation of one-dimensional multicomponent nanowire electrocatalysts remains a tremendous challenge. Herein, we report a versatile method for high-quality Pt-based nanowires and nanotubes, which exhibit composition-dependent performance for the methanol oxidation reaction, through a simple solvothermal process. Among these catalysts, quaternary PtRuAgTe nanotubes possess the lowest onset potential of 0.387 V and display the highest activity of 1145 mA mg^-1 Pt, which is ∼3.0 times that of commercial Pt/C, exhibiting the best long-term durability over 30000 s owing to the synergistic effect between compositions as well as the favorable tubelike structure. Moreover, synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy is introduced to investigate the structural behavior of the catalysts before and after the catalytic process. This work contributes a simple method toward scalable production of high-performance Pt-based nanowires and nanotubes for applications in electrocatalysts and affords an inspiring route to enhance both the catalytic activity and the durability.