It is desirable but challenging to develop active and durable low-Pt catalysts for next-generation fuel cells. Herein, a three-dimensional porous PtPdCu architecture with ultrathin nanowires was obtained through a simple, rapid and aqueous method. This PtPdCu catalyst showed the remarkable performance for methanol oxidation reaction with a 6.5 times enhancement in precious-metal-based mass activity, a 7.2 times enhancement in specific activity and a better durability in comparison with a standard Pt/C catalyst. According to the structure-activity analysis, these enhancements were due to the beneficial structural feature and the multicomponent synergy effect.
Keywords: electrocatalysis; electrochemistry; fuel cells; methanol oxidation reaction; nanowires; porous material.