Promoted C–C bond cleavage over intermetallic TaPt3 catalyst toward low-temperature energy extraction from ethanol

Novel intermetallic TaPt3 nanoparticles (NPs) are materialized, which exhibit much higher catalytic performance than state-of-the-art Pt3Sn NPs for electrooxidation of ethanol. In situ infrared-reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) elucidates that the TaPt3 NPs cleave the C–C bond in ethanol at lower potentials than Pt NPs, efficiently promoting complete conversion of ethanol to CO2. Single-cell tests demonstrate the feasibility of the TaPt3 NPs as a practical energy-extraction catalyst for ethanol fuels, with more than two times higher output currents than Pt-based cells at high discharge currents.