Enhanced Catalytic Activity and Stability of Pt/CeO2/PANI Hybrid Hollow Nanorod Arrays for Methanol Electro-oxidation

Here, we designed and fabricated novel Pt/CeO2/PANI three-layered hollow nanorod arrays (THNRAs) as advanced electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation by combining the merits of CeO2, PANI, multilayered structure, and hollow nanorod arrays. The synthesized Pt/CeO2/PANI THNRAs exhibit higher electrocatalytic activity and better stability toward the oxidation of methanol than Pt/PANI HNRAs, Pt/CeO2 HNRAs, and commercial Pt/C catalysts. The enhanced electrocatalytic performance of the Pt/CeO2/PANI THNRAs may be due to the synergistic effects among Pt, CeO2, and PANI and the special three-layered hollow nanorod arrays, which can provide short diffusion paths for electroactive species and high-availability of electrocatalysts. The facile synthesis method can be considered as a promising strategy to design low-cost, high-performance electrocatalysts for fuel cells.