Formation and control of nanoporous Pt ribbons by two-step dealloying for methanol electro-oxidation

Novel ultrafine nanoporous Pt (NP-Pt) ribbons were fabricated by dealloying melt-spun Al85Pt15 and Al85Pt8Ce7 alloys. The addtion of Ce to Al-Pt alloy changed the phase constituents and distribution of the alloy. During alkali-dealloying, CeOx nanorods formed and were distributed in NP-Pt. Sacrificial nanorods were then selectively removed during acid-dealloying, resulting in the formation of hierarchical NP-Pt ribbons with a ligament scale of approximately 3 nm. The specific surface area of the NP-Pt was 3 times greater than that of the Al85Pt15 alloy without Ce. NP-Pt with a high active surface area had remarkable electro-catalytic performance and stability towards methanol oxidation.