title: Large-scale template-free synthesis of ordered mesoporous platinum nanocubes and their electrocatalytic properties.
abstract: Here we report a facile, one-pot and template-free approach to synthesize mesoporous monocrystalline Pt nanocubes with uniform shapes and sizes, in which small Pt particles with a size of ∼5 nm are three-dimensionally and periodically built up into cubes with a size of ∼50 nm. The forming process is illustrated through a novel meso-crystal self-assembly mechanism. Very interestingly, the mesoporous structures are ordered, which are thought to be beneficial to increase their catalytic activity. Compared with nonporous Pt nanoparticles and porous Pt nanoparticles without order, the ordered mesoporous Pt nanocubes exhibit a highly improved electrocatalytic ability for methanol and formic acid oxidation, and are potentially applicable as electrocatalysts for direct methanol and formic acid fuel cells. Furthermore, this approach can be used to synthesize other Pt-series metallic mesoporous nanoparticles, such as Pd.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai 200050, PR China. yangyong@mail.sic.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Yanqin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yufeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Chaoli
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Nguyen Viet
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Zhengren
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiangxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nogami