Hexapod PtRuCu Nanocrystalline Alloy for Highly Efficient and Stable Methanol Oxidation

A hexapod PtRuCu nanocrystalline alloy material is successfully fabricated by a facile approach based on Stranski–Krastanov growth and galvanic replacement and used as an efficient catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells (DFMCs). Because of the synergetic effect of metallic elements in the methanol oxidation, the activity and durability of the prepared PtRuCu/C catalyst is significantly enhanced. It has a mass activity of 1.35 A mg_Pt^–1 and a specific activity of 3.92 mA cm^–2, which are 3.8 and 8.2 times higher than those of Pt/C, respectively. Its mass activity only decreases 27% after 800 CV cycles compared with Pt/C (60% decline), indicating the admirable stability of the PtRuCu catalyst.