High‐Quality Platinum–Iron Nanodendrites with a Multibranched Architecture as Efficient Electrocatalysts for the Ethanol Oxidation Reaction

Hui Xu; Pingping Song; Jin Wang; Fei Gao; Yangping Zhang; Yukihide Shiraishi; Yukou Du

Index: 10.1002/cctc.201800109

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Abstract

Although great success has been made in the design of well‐defined nanocrystals (NCs) with various morphologies, a facile method to prepare desirable NCs with large active surface areas and unique facets remains an arduous challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a facile method for the successful synthesis of high‐quality PtFe nanodendrites with a multibranched architecture; these nanodendrites have an abundance of exposed surface active sites that are available for ethanol molecules. Detailed study of its electrocatalytic properties revealed that the resultant superbranched PtFe nanocatalysts displayed superior electrocatalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation with unprecedentedly high mass/specific activities of 3692.5 mA mg−1 and 7.02 mA cm−2; these values are 9.3 and 10.0‐fold higher than those of a commercial Pt/C catalyst, signifying that the these nanodendrites may serve as highly efficient catalysts for fuel cells and beyond.