One-pot synthesis of ultrafine decahedral platinum crystal decorated graphite nanosheets for the electro-oxidation of formic acid

•Decahedral platinum crystals were synthesized in the presence of graphite nanosheets.•Pt decahedra decorated graphene nanosheets show outstanding performance for FAO.•The superior activity is well correlated with the unique structures of Pt decahedra.

Synthesis of five-twined platinum decahedra is currently a great challenge. Reported herein is a solution synthesis of ultrafine decahedral platinum crystals (average size 5.9 nm) mediated by graphite nanosheets together with poly (dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride). The graphite nanosheets play a critical role in the formation of Pt decahedra. The obtained Pt decahedral crystals provide a valuable platform for the fundamental study of facet-dependent activity of platinum. The hybrid of Pt decahedral crystal decorated graphite nanosheets shows outstanding activity and durability for the oxidation of formic acid. The hybrid possesses a remarkable current density of 4.3 mA cm−2, which is 2 times that of state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst. The superior catalytic performance is well correlated with the unique structures of decahedral Pt crystals. The synthesis protocol disclosed in this study would pave a new route to fabricate high-performance electrocatalysts for fuel cells.

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