Amorphization-Facilitated Synthesis of Pt<sub>2</sub>Bi<sub>2</sub>/Pt Heterojunction Nanorods for Highly Efficient Methanol Electrooxidation.

Hu, Lijun; Sui, Heyu; Wang, Yan; Chen, Yue; Liu, Haixia; Yang, Youzhi; Zhai, Li; Cheng, Fang et al. · Nano Lett · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

To address the low atomic efficiency and CO poisoning susceptibility of Pt-based nanomaterials in methanol oxidation reactions (MOR), we develop a facile template-directed approach to heterogeneous Pt<sub>2</sub>Bi<sub>2</sub>/Pt nanorods (Pt<sub>2</sub>Bi<sub>2</sub>/Pt NRs) utilizing Bi<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub> NRs as a template. The formation of Pt<sub>2</sub>Bi<sub>2</sub>/Pt NRs is assisted by surface amorphization of Bi<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub> NRs, facilitating the subsequent Pt deposition and alloying process. Notably, Pt<sub>2</sub>Bi<sub>2</sub>/Pt NRs display a mass activity of 5.13 A mg<sub>Pt</sub><sup>-1</sup> for MOR, which is over five times higher than that of commercial Pt/C (0.98 A mg<sub>Pt</sub><sup>-1</sup>), as well as greatly enhanced stability. In situ infrared spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations indicate that the electronic structure of Pt<sub>2</sub>Bi<sub>2</sub>/Pt NRs could modify the adsorption/desorption of reaction intermediates and facilitate MOR via a CO-free pathway, circumventing the typical CO poisoning observed in conventional Pt-based electrocatalysts. This study provides a synthetic route for rationally designing heterostructured electrocatalysts with superior performance.