Morphology and composition controlled platinum–cobalt alloy nanowires prepared by electrospinning as oxygen reduction catalyst

One-dimensional platinum–cobalt alloy nanowires (PtCoNWs) are prepared by electrospinning, which provides a versatile platform for the synthesis of nanowires with tunable diameters and atomic compositions. PtCoNWs with a near unity stoichiometric ratio, excellent atomic distribution and an average diameter of 28nm were evaluated for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in 0.1M HClO4 electrolyte. Over a four-fold enhancement in Pt mass-based activity at an electrode potential of 0.9V vs. RHE is obtained in comparison to pure PtNWs, highlighting the beneficial impact of the alloying structure. A near 7-fold specific activity increase is also observed in comparison to commercial Pt/C catalyst, along with improved electrochemically active surface area retention through repetitive (1000) potential cycles. Electrospinning is thereby an attractive approach to prepare morphology and composition controlled PtCoNWs that could potentially one day replace conventional nanoparticle catalysts.