C2 Alcohol Oxidation Boosted by Trimetallic PtPbBi Hexagonal Nanoplates

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Ternary platinum-based catalysts are emerging as a key area for fuel cell electrocatalyst development.
• Developing efficient and stable electrocatalysts is crucial for advancing fuel cell technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel intermetallic PtPbBi hexagonal nanoplates (HNPs) for electrocatalytic applications.
• To evaluate the performance of PtPbBi HNPs in ethanol and ethylene glycol oxidation reactions.

Main Methods:

• Facile solvothermal synthesis approach for creating PtPbBi HNPs.
• Electrochemical characterization, including mass activity measurements and chronoamperometric testing.
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate electronic structure and surface interactions.

Main Results:

• Optimized PtPbBi HNPs exhibit significantly higher mass activity for ethanol oxidation (8870 mA mg^-1_Pt) and ethylene glycol oxidation (10,225 mA mg^-1_Pt) compared to commercial Pt/C.
• PtPbBi HNPs demonstrate excellent operational durability, retaining 42.7% mass activity after 3600s for ethylene glycol oxidation.
• Electron transfer between Pt, Pb, and Bi weakens CO adsorption and enhances OH adsorption, promoting catalytic activity.

Conclusions:

• PtPbBi HNPs represent a highly active and durable electrocatalyst for fuel cell applications.
• The electronic interactions in ternary Pt-based catalysts are key to improving catalytic efficiency and stability.
• This study provides insights for designing advanced Pt-based nanocatalysts.