Holey platinum nanotubes for ethanol electrochemical reforming in aqueous solution

The catalytic/electrocatalytic performance of platinum (Pt) nanostructures highly relates to their morphology. Herein, we propose a facile self-template pyrolysis strategy at high temperature to synthesize one-dimensionally holey Pt nanotubes (Pt-hNTs) using Pt^II-dimethylglyoxime complex (Pt^II-DMG) nanorods as the reaction precursor. The coordination capability of DMG results in the generation of Pt^II-DMG nanorods, whereas the reducibility of DMG at high temperature leads to the reduction of Pt^II species in Pt^II-DMG nanorods. During the reaction process, the inside-out Ostwald ripening phenomenon leads to the hollow morphology of Pt-hNTs. Benefiting from the physical characteristics of hollow and holey structure, Pt-hNTs with clean surface show superior electroactivity and durability for catalyzing ethanol electrooxidation as well as hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline media. Under optimized experimental conditions, the constructed symmetric Pt-hNTs||Pt-hNTs ethanol electrolyzer only requires an electrolysis voltage of 0.40 V to achieve the electrochemical hydrogen production, demonstrating a highly energy saving strategy relative to traditional water electrolysis.