Platinum nanoworms self-assemble on β-cyclodextrin polymer inclusion complexes functionalized reduced graphene oxide as enhanced catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells

•PtNWs/pATP-β-CDP/rGO composites are fabricated by self-assembly strategy.•Amount and dispersity of PtNWs on rGO can be adjusted by changing the weight ratio of pATP-β-CDP/rGO.•The catalyst displays excellent catalytic performance for methanol oxidation reaction.•The proposed strategy provides a facile method for developing noble metals electrocatalysts.

A noble Pt nanoworms (PtNWs)/p-aminothiophenol (pATP)-β-cyclodextrin polymer (β-CDP)/reduced graphene oxide (PtNWs/pATP-β-CDP/rGO) nanocomposite is synthesized using the self-assembly strategy. Inclusion complexes between β-CDP and pATP are modified onto the surface of rGO through non-covalent bond force. Then, pre-prepared PtNWs self-assemble onto the surface of pATP-β-CDP/rGO through thiol and amino groups of pATP to fabricate PtNWs/pATP-β-CDP/rGO hybrid materials. It is verified that the PtNWs may be uniformly scattered on rGO and the amount of PtNWs may be adjusted changing the weight ratio of pATP-β-CDP:rGO. Cyclic voltammograms show that the PtNWs/pATP-β-CDP/rGO catalysts have higher active surface area, more improved performance and better stability towards the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol than commercial Pt/C catalysts. The proposed synthesis strategy provides a moderate, feasible and effective method for developing noble metals electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction.