Hydrogen gas-assisted synthesis of worm-like PtMo wavy nanowires as efficient catalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction

Abstract

Bi-metallic Pt-based nanocrystals (NCs) with anisotropic structures are highly promising catalysts for electrochemical energy conversion technologies. Herein we provide a facile method for one-pot synthesis of worm-like PtMo wavy nanowires in oleylamine (OAm) under hydrogen pressure. This is based on a combination between the autocatalytic effect and oriented attachment growth mechanism. The particle size, morphology, and composition of the as-made NCs are tuned by adjusting appropriate reaction parameters and conditions. The as-made worm-like PtMo wavy nanowires composed of multiple crystalline domains exhibit superior catalytic activity and durability towards the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) compared to commercial Pt/C. This is ascribed to the self-supported interconnected network structure and composition effect. The newly developed one-pot approach is feasible for the synthesis of worm-like Pt-based nanostructures with designed composition for various catalytic applications.