Au/Pt Bimetallic Nanowires with Stepped Pt Sites for Enhanced C–C Cleavage in C2+ Alcohol Electro-oxidation Reactions

-propanol, and ethylene glycol. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy are used to characterize the catalyst structure and to identify key reaction intermediates, providing concrete evidence that the synergy between the low-coordinated Pt sites and the stepped Au NWs is essential to catalyze the alcohol oxidation reaction, which is further supported by DFT calculations that the C-C bond cleavage is indeed enhanced on the undercoordinated Pt-Au surface. Our study provides important evidence that a core/shell structure with stepped core/shell sites is essential to enhance electrochemical oxidation of alcohols and will also be central to understanding electro-oxidation reactions and to the future development of highly efficient direct alcohol fuel cells for renewable energy applications.