A Universal and Cost-Effective Approach to the Synthesis of Carbon-Supported Noble Metal Nanoparticles with Hollow Interiors

Noble metal nanoparticles with hollow interiors and customizable shell compositions have immense potential for catalysis. Herein, we present a universal and cost-effective approach for the fabrication of carbon-supported Pt-containing noble metal nanoparticles with hollow interiors. This strategy starts with the synthesis of Pt-containing core shell Ag noble metal nanoparticles, which are then loaded on the carbon supports and refluxed in acetic acid to remove the original organic surfactant. The carbon-supported Pt-containing core shell Ag noble metal nanoparticles are subsequently agitated in saturated Na2S or NaCl solution to eliminate Ag from the core region, leading to the formation of Pt-containing noble metal nanoparticles with hollow interiors. In particular, the Pt-containing core shell Ag noble metal nanoparticles hollowed by NaCl on carbon support exhibit enhanced catalytic activity, whereas the hollowing by Na2S is a serious detriment to the catalytic activity of the resulting carbon-supported hollow nanoparticles for methanol oxidation.