Intermetallic PtBi Nanoplates with High Catalytic Activity towards Electro‐oxidation of Formic Acid and Glycerol

Abstract Despite considerable progress made for direct liquid fuel cells, developing efficient electrocatalysts for the oxidation of small organic molecules reaction remains a challenge. Herein, we employed a facile one‐pot method to synthesize hexagonal intermetallic PtBi nanoplates. Benefiting from the unique structure and third body effect, the mass activity of formic acid oxidation on PtBi/C at peak potential reaches 9.06 A ⋅ mg Pt −1 , which is 10.4 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst, making it the most efficient electrocatalyst ever reported. In situ FTIR spectroscopic studies revealed that the introduction of Bi suppresses dramatically CO‐poisoning, which effectively improves the activity and stability towards formic acid oxidation. Furthermore, in situ FTIR spectra of glycerol oxidation indicate that much more oxalate and tartronate are produced on PtBi/C than that on Pt/C, and a plausible reaction mechanism for the oxidation of glycerol on PtBi/C catalyst in alkaline solution was proposed.