Synthesis of hierarchical hollow tungsten trioxide sphere and its evaluation as an electrocatalyst support for methanol oxidation

摘要

Hierarchical hollow tungsten trioxide spheres (HHTTS) were prepared using PbWO4 precursors as sacrificial templates. The HHTTS with diameters of about 2 mu m were loosely self-organized from numerous nanoplatelets. Pt nanoparticles with 7 nm were loaded onto the surface of HHTTS using a conventional sodium borohydride reduction method. The electrocatalytic performances for methanol oxidation of Pt/HHTTS were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Due to the large tunnels of hexagonal structure and high porous surface morphology, great enhancement of electrochemical performances is achieved. The Pt/HHTTS catalyst is demonstrated to be a promising anode material for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC).