A one-step method is proposed to synthesize long-spined sea-urchin-like PdCuIr nanostructures for electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction to ammonia.

Design of a Pt-based catalyst with desired nanoarchitectonics highly favors an enhanced electrocatalytic performance. Herein unique yolk–shell structures containing a Pt core and a mesoporous bimetallic PtRu shell (Pt@mPtRu YSs) are newly synthesized by a facile approach. Profiting from the spatially and locally separated accessible active sites on the interior Pt nanoparticle and exterior mesoporous PtRu nanocages, the Pt@mPtRu YSs show superior catalytic activity, durability, and CO tolerance for the methanol oxidation reaction. This facile method is very significant to the design of all-metallic yolk–shell catalysts for various electrocatalytic applications.

No abstract