Visible-Light-Improved Catalytic Performance for Methanol Oxidation Based on Plasmonic PtAu Dendrites

Rapid consumption of traditional fossil fuels and increasing energy demand have stimulated attention in utilizing solar energy. However, the lack of highly efficient photocatalysts remains a challenge for their large-scale development. Plasmonic modification of metallic nanostructures have aroused extensive research interest, which can efficiently convert solar energy into chemical energy. We, herein, design a new class of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) promoted dendritic PtAu photoelectrocatalysts, taking advantage of visible light to enhance the electrocatalytic performances towards methanol oxidation. In virtue of the synergistic effect between Pt and Au, the resultant PtAu dendrites show an unprecedentedly high electrocatalytic activity of 2262.1 mAmg(-1) towards methanol oxidation, which is 9.7 times higher than that of the commercial Pt/C. More interestingly, the SPR effect also caused the Pt1Ag1 nanocatalyst under visible-light irradiation to display a 1.8-fold enhancement in catalytic activity compared to that under dark conditions, showing great promise for serving as highly efficient photoelectrocatalysts for liquid fuel oxidation and beyond.