Au@Rh core-shell nanowires for hydrazine electrooxidation

Optimizing morphology, structure, and composition of noble metal bimetallic nanomaterials not only enhances their electroactivity and stability but also expands their scope of application. In this work, ultrafine bimetallic Au@Rh core-shell nanowires (Au@Rh ultra-NWs) are synthesized by simple wet chemical strategy using ultrafine Au nanowires (Au ultra-NWs) with 5.50 nm diameter as substrate and explore their potential application for hydrazine electro-oxidation reaction (HeOR) in an alkaline solution. Experimental and calculational results demonstrate that bimetallic Au@Rh ultra-NWs with optimal component reveal 13.6-fold Rh-mass activity enhancement for HeOR at 0.4 V potential relative to commercial Rh nanocrystals (Rh c-NCs), which can be ascribed to the ultrathin Rh shell thickness and the electronic effect caused by the interaction between Au core and Rh shell. Under light irradiation conditions, bimetallic Au@Rh ultra-NWs further show plasmon-promoted HeOR activity, which originates from photoelectric and photothermal effects caused by localized surface plasmon resonance of Au ultra-NWs core.