T porous PtIr bimetallic nanotubes with core shell structure for enhanced electrocatalysis on methanol oxidation.

Sluggish methanol oxidation brings challenges to the commercialization of the direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Herein, porous PtIr bimetallic nanotubes were prepared via galvanic replacement using Ag nanowires as template. These PtIr catalysts show a core-shell nanostructure with a tunable Pt-rich surface. The mass activity of methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) at these porous PtIr nanotubes can reach up to 1.42 A mg-1based on Pt loading, which is better than the commercial Pt/C catalysts and can be comparable with most of one-dimensional Pt-based MOR catalysts reported recently. In addition, these PtIr catalysts can maintain structural integrity after long-term durability test. The superior catalytic performance of the novel porous PtIr nanotubes will make it possible used in the commercial DMFCs as advanced MOR catalysts at industrial scale.