Direct Growth of Single-Crystal Pt Nanowires on Sn@CNT Nanocable: 3D Electrodes for Highly Active Electrocatalysts

A newly designed and fabricated novel three dimensional (3D) nanocomposite composed of single-crystal Pt nanowires (PtNW) and a coaxial nanocable support consisting of a tin nanowire and a carbon nanotube (Sn@CNT) is reported. This nanocomposite is fabricated by the synthesis of Sn@CNT nanocables by means of a thermal evaporation method, followed by the direct growth with PtNWs through a facile aqueous solution approach at room temperature. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the PtNW-Sn@CNT 3D electrode exhibits enhanced electrocatalytic performance in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), methanol oxidation (MOR) for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), and CO tolerance compared with commercial ETEK Pt/C catalyst made of Pt nanoparticles.