NiPt hollow nanocatalyst: Green synthesis, size control and electrocatalysis

Nearly monodispersed hollow nanospheres of bimetallic NiPt have been synthesized by a one-pot wet chemical method at room temperature with a precursor Ni nanocompound as a sacrificial template. The size control is carried out via the sacrificial template, from about 35 nm to nearly 100 nm in diameter. The shell thickness of the NiPt hollow sphere reaches down to as thin as 2–3 nm slightly larger than a single layer of alloyed NiPt nanocrystallites. The product with the citric acid as surfactant exhibits enhanced oxygen reduction activities compared to a commercial Pt/C catalyst and the hollow nanospheres coated with PVP. It has potential applications in fuel cells, biotechnology and environmental chemistry with the facile synthesis, low cost and excellent electrocatalytic activity.