Confining Gold Nanoclusters in Highly Defective Graphitic Layers To Enhance the Methanol Electrooxidation Reaction

摘要

The development of a highly efficient catalyst possessing both high activity and remarkable stability is a major focus in fuel-cell applications. Herein, we utilized an arc-discharge approach with an ultrafast cooling system to synthesize a core@shell structural Au@C nanocomposite comprising 3-5nm gold clusters confined within highly defective graphitic layers. Such a construction not only improves the conductivity to accelerate the penetration of ions and electrons during the electrocatalytic process of methanol molecules, but it also suppresses chemical/thermal coarsening of the gold clusters. More importantly, the atomic-scale Au/C interfaces contribute to a synergistic effect and enhance the activity relative to that of other gold-based catalysts in the electrooxidation of methanol. This work highlights the role of heterogeneous interfaces in the catalytic efficiency of precious-metal catalysts and rationalizes optimization in catalyst engineering.