Platinum-Silver Alloy Nanoballoon Nanoassemblies with Super Catalytic Activity for the Formate Electrooxidation

Alkaline direct formate fuel cells (ADFFC) are emerging as a propitious candidate for green energy conversion devices. However, the poor electrocatalytic activity and stability of anodic electrocatalysts are immense challenges for its full-scale commercialization. In the current work, Pt–Ag alloy nanoballoon nanoassemblies (ANBNSs) were easily synthesized by the galvanic replacement reaction between three-dimensionally multibranched Ag nanoflowers and K2PtCl4. Electrochemical results exhibit that Pt–Ag ANBNSs have a nearly 19.3-fold activity enhancement for the formate oxidation reaction (FOR) over commercial Pt nanoparticles in alkaline media, as well as a higher resistance to CO poisoning and excellent durability for the FOR. This work demonstrates that Pt–Ag ANBNSs are indeed highly promising active and durable electrocatalysts for the FOR due to the integration of geometric/electronic effects and porous architecture.