Ultrathin Pt–Zn Nanowires: High-Performance Catalysts for Electrooxidation of Methanol and Formic Acid

Herein, we have developed a Zn2+ ion induced reduction strategy (ZIRS) for synthesizing ultrathin Pt–Zn nanowires (NWs) with average size of ∼2.2 nm. The precise selection of solvent and the addition of ZnCl2 precursor are of crucial significance to preparing bimetallic NWs. The NWs exhibited electrocatalytic performance compared with commercial catalysts, such as electrooxidation of methanol (MOR) and formic acid (FAOR). Moreover, the prepared Pt–Zn NWs can be adopted as a template to prepare Pt-based trimetallic ultrathin NWs.