Trimetallic Hollow Pt–Ni–Co Nanodendrites as Efficient Anodic Electrocatalysts

Abstract

A hollow nanostructure represents an emerging class of efficient catalysts for advanced catalytic applications due to their intrinsic surface area and high catalytic activity. Here, we report the design and synthesis of hollow Pt–Ni–Co nanodendrites (NDs) through selectively etching the Ni-rich core of solid core–shell Pt–Ni–Co NDs used as starting material. Moreover, the formation mechanism of solid core–shell Pt–Ni–Co NDs was investigated in detail by tracing the growth stages at different reaction timed. Impressively, hollow Pt–Ni–Co NDs exhibit 4.2- and 6.7-times higher mass activity for methanol and formic acid oxidation than that of commercial Pt/C, respectively.