Highly active zigzag-like Pt-Zn alloy nanowires with high-index facets for alcohol electrooxidation

The development of highly efficient Pt-based alloy nanocatalysts is important but remains challenging for fuel cells commercialization. Here, a new class of zigzag-like platinum-zinc (Pt-Zn) alloy nanowires (NWs) with rough surface and controllable composition is reported. The merits of anisotropic one-dimensional nanostructure, stable high-index facets and coordinatively unsaturated Pt sites endow the composition-optimal Pt94Zn6 NWs with a mass activity of 7.2 and 6.2 times higher than that of commercial Pt black catalysts toward methanol/ethanol oxidation, respectively. Alloying-induced d-band electron modulation and lattice strain effects weaken the adsorption strength of poisoning species, which originally enhances the catalytic activity of Pt-Zn NWs. This study provides a new perspective of Pt-Zn electrocatalysts with intrinsic mechanism for enhanced catalytic performance.