Preparation of Pt/(Ti3C2Tx)y-(MWCNTs)1-y electrocatalysts via a facile and scalable solvothermal strategy for high-efficiency methanol oxidation

Although direct methanol fuel cells are promising as green power generators for portable electronics, their further development has been largely hampered by the low-efficiency of the commercial anode catalysts. In this study, (Ti3C2Tx)(y)-(MWCNTs)(1-y) (0 <= y <= 1) supported Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts were fabricated by a facile and scalable solvothermal strategy, after which two-dimensional(2D) Ti3C2Tx nanosheets were found to be intercalated and connected by conductive one-dimensional(1D) MWCNTs. Used for methanol oxidation reaction, the Pt/(Ti3C2Tx)(0.)(5)-(MWCNTs)(0.5) catalyst exhibited the maximum electrochemical active surface area (ECSA, 154 m(2)/g) and excellent electrochemical activity (812.9 mA/mg), higher than not only Pt/Ti3C2Tx and Pt/ MWCNTs of this study, but also many other related catalysts reported in literature. In addition, the CO-poisoning behavior was also alleviated using Pt/(Ti3C2Tx)(0.5)-(MWCNTs)(0.5)( )instead of Pt/Ti3C2Tx and Pt/MWCNTs. Such a superior performance can be attributed to the well dispersion of Pt nanoparticles (similar to 3.8 nm), enhanced layer distance of Ti3C2Tx to capture more Pt nanoparticles, and conductive action of MWCNTs to connect Ti3C2Tx. This study opens a new perspective for developing high performance supercapacitors using Pt catalysts supported by 1D-intercalated 2D materials.