Enhanced Oxygen Reduction and Methanol Oxidation Electrocatalysis over Bifunctional PtPdIr Mesoporous Hollow Nanospheres

Abstract

Designing and constructing nano-architectures with abundant reactive atoms exposed on the surface and widely open pore interiors is an effective strategy for highly efficient utilization of Pt-based catalysts. Herein, we report a facile method to synthesize tri-metallic PtPdIr mesoporous hollow nanospheres (PtPdIr MHNSs) by selective chemical removal of sacrificial metallic cores from pre-constructed Pd@PtIr mesoporous nanospheres (Pd@PtIr MNSs). The unique nano-architectures, with mesoporous shells interconnected into the interior hollow cavities and the synergistic electronic effect from tri-metallic PtPdIr composition, enable the as-synthesized PtPdIr MHNSs to be efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for catalyzing both methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).