One-pot synthesis of CuPt nanodendrites with enhanced activity towards methanol oxidation reaction

Abstract

CuPt nanodendrites have special electrocatalytic performance due to their unique morphologies and structures. In this work, we report a facile and one-pot synthesis of highly branched and dispersed CuPt nanodendrites with a size of about 22 nm and Pt/Cu ratio of 2:1. X-ray photoelectron spectra indicate a Pt-rich surface of the prepared CuPt nanodendrites. The combination of a highly branched structure with a Pt-rich shell would be very beneficial for catalytic properties, which was confirmed by electrochemical tests towards MOR. A systematic study on morphology evolution of the products and understanding of their growth mechanism was carried out using the effects of reaction time and reducing agents.