Pt-Based Nanostructures for Electrochemical Oxidation of CO: Unveiling the Effect of Shapes and Electrolytes

Direct alcohol fuel cells are deemed as green and sustainable energy resources; however, CO-poisoning of Pt-based catalysts is a critical barrier to their commercialization. Thus, investigation of the electrochemical CO oxidation activity (CO(Oxid)) of Pt-based catalyst over pH ranges as a function of Pt-shape is necessary and is not yet reported. Herein, porous Pt nanodendrites (Pt NDs) were synthesized via the ultrasonic irradiation method, and its CO oxidation performance was benchmarked in different electrolytes relative to 1-D Pt chains nanostructure (Pt NCs) and commercial Pt/C catalyst under the same condition. This is a trial to confirm the effect of the size and shape of Pt as well as the pH of electrolytes on the CO(Oxid). The CO(Oxid) activity and durability of Pt NDs are substantially superior to Pt NCs and Pt/C in HClO(4), KOH, and NaHCO(3) electrolytes, respectively, owing to the porous branched structure with a high surface area, which maximizes Pt utilization. Notably, the CO(Oxid) performance of Pt NPs in HClO(4) is higher than that in NaHCO(3), and KOH under the same reaction conditions. This study may open the way for understanding the CO(Oxid) activities of Pt-based catalysts and avoiding CO-poisoning in fuel cells.