Kinetically controlled synthesis of nanoporous Au and its enhanced electrocatalytic activity for glucose-based biofuel cells.
Nanoporous gold (NPG) structures, which possess abundant high-index facets, kinks, and steps, have been demonstrated as effective catalysts for the glucose electrooxidation in biofuel cells. Herein, we designed surface-clean NPG structures with high-index facets by a trisodium citrate (Na3Cit) self-initiated reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) in a water-ice bath followed by a kinetically controlled self-assembly manner. This strategy breaks through the traditional trisodium citrate thermal-reducing chloroauric acid approach where solutions are required to heat to a certain temperature for the reaction to initiate. However, herein, the surface-clean NPG structures yielded highly enhanced catalytic activity in glucose electrooxidation with approximately 9 A cm-2mg-1current density, which is over 20 times higher than that of Au nanoparticles devised by Turkevich (Turkevich-Au NPs) under the same conditions. This remarkable electrocatalytic activity could be ascribed to the large electrochemically active surface area, clean surface, and high-index facets or highly active sites of the porous structure. The employment of the surface-clean NPG with high-index facets for glucose electrooxidation promises a substantial improvement in the current biofuel cell technology and indicates the potential of biofuel cells in practical applications.
State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China. zoubo@jlu.edu.cn suiym@jlu.edu.cn.
Man
M
Xu
State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China. zoubo@jlu.edu.cn suiym@jlu.edu.cn.
Yongming
Y
Sui
State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China. zoubo@jlu.edu.cn suiym@jlu.edu.cn.
Guanjun
G
Xiao
State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China. zoubo@jlu.edu.cn suiym@jlu.edu.cn.
Xinyi
X
Yang
Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries (Ministry of Education), College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.
Yingjin
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9375-9272
Y
Wei
State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China. zoubo@jlu.edu.cn suiym@jlu.edu.cn.
Bo
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3215-1255
B
Zou
D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D005947:Glucose; D006046:Gold; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D058608:Nanopores
D006046:Gold; D005947:Glucose