Article Title

Dendritic platinum–copper bimetallic nanoassemblies with tunable composition and structure: Arginine-driven self-assembly and enhanced electrocatalytic activity

Authors

Gengtao Fu, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China Materials Science and Engineering Program & Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
Huimin Liu, Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Nika You, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Jiayan Wu, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Dongmei Sun, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Lin Xu, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Yawen Tang, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Yu Chen, Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China

Keywords

platinum–copper, nanoassemblies, arginine molecules, electrocatalysis, methanol oxidation

Abstract

Novel self-assembled architectures have received a growing amount of attention and have significant potential for application in catalysis/electrocatalysis. Herein, we take advantage of the unique coordination and self-assembly properties of arginine for the preparation of dendritic PtCu bimetallic nanoassemblies with tunable chemical composition and structure. Strong interactions between the arginine molecules are key in driving the self-assembly of primary nanocrystals. In addition, the strong coordination interactions between arginine and metal ions is responsible for the formation of Pt–Cu alloys. We also investigated the electrocatalytic activity of various dendritic PtCu bimetallic nanoassemblies towards the methanol oxidation reaction. Pt3Cu1 nanoassemblies exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability in comparison with other PtCu bimetallic nanoassemblies (Pt1Cu3, Pt1Cu1) and commercial Pt black, due to their unique dendritic structures and the synergistic effect between the Pt and Cu atoms.

Graphical Abstract

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-015-0954-0

Publisher

Tsinghua University Press

Recommended Citation

Gengtao Fu,Huimin Liu,Nika You,Jiayan Wu,Dongmei Sun,Lin Xu,Yawen Tang,Yu Chen, Dendritic platinum–copper bimetallic nanoassemblies with tunable composition and structure: Arginine-driven self-assembly and enhanced electrocatalytic activity. NanoRes.2016, 9(3): 755–765