Catalytic activities for methanol oxidation on ultrathin CuPt 3 wavy nanowires with/without smart polymer

• Main Authors: Fu, Gengtao, Yan, Xiaoxiao, Cui, Zhiming, Sun, Dongmei, Xu, Lin, Tang, Yawen, Goodenough, John B., Lee, Jong-Min
• Other Authors: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Chemical engineering; Catalytic Oxidation; Methanol
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/90203; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/47185
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Superior catalytic activity and stability for the methanol oxidation reaction of a direct methanol–air fuel cell is achieved with “clean” ultrathin CuPt3 wavy nanowires. The nanowires are synthesized for the first time by functionalizing CuPt3 nanoparticles with amine-terminated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), a thermosensitive “smart” polymer having a phase transition at a liquid-electrolyte Tt (low critical solution temperature, 35 °C). Interestingly, retention of the functionalizing smart polymer on the surface of the nanowires reversibly switches the catalytic activity to lower rates above the Tt. The catalytic performance of the “clean” CuPt3 nanowires is shown to be significantly improved over that of commercial Pt black catalyst, owing to their unique structural advantages and bimetallic synergetic effect.