Synthesis of 3 nm Pt nanowire using MCM-41 and electrocatalytic activity in methanol electro-oxidation

A networked Pt nanowire electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation was prepared by way of a template confinement approach using MCM-41 (Mobil composition of matter), which is a mesoporous silicate with channel-like pores of rather uniform size. From the structural analysis, the prepared Pt nanowire showed an interconnected network structure and the diameter was about 3 nm. An electrochemical analysis indicated that the Pt nanowire electrocatalyst exhibited an increase in electrocatalytic activity over the Pt nanoparticle electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation reaction by 250 and 160%, respectively, when the area- and mass-normalized current densities were compared at 0.5 V vs a normal hydrogen electrode. These enhanced electrocatalytic activities of the Pt nanowire electrocatalyst might be related to its unique surface characteristics, which represent a mild surface roughness and favorable crystallographic Pt surface for methanol oxidation. (c) 2008 The Electrochemical Society.