One-step microwave-assisted synthesis of carbon-supported ternary Pt-Sn-Rh alloy nanoparticles for fuel cells

Microwave-assisted synthesis, capable of fast and uniform heating, has the potential to save time, reduce costs, and facilitate large-scale industrial production. Here, we report a fast, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly technique for synthesizing carbon-supported ultra-small nanoparticles (USNP/C) using a microwave-heating method. All the as-synthesized Pt-Sn-Rh nanoparticles were homogeneous with an average diameter of around 2 nm. Electrochemical studies showed that the Pt4.5Sn1.5Rh1 sample exhibited superior mass activities (2.18 A/mgPt and 1.70 A/mgPt) for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), which were 5.74 and 3.70 times higher than commercial Pt/C catalysts, respectively. Furthermore, the Pt-Sn-Rh nanoparticles exhibited excellent long-term durability. The microwave-assisted synthesis is capable of producing high-quality nano-electrocatalysts with uniform size distribution, high activity, and superior durability, in a time and energy efficient manner. (c) 2020 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.