Au core-PtAu alloy shell nanowires for formic acid electrolysis

Inefficient electrocatalysts and high-power consumption are two thorny problems for electrochemical hydrogen (H 2 ) production from acidic water electrolysis. Herein we report the one-pot precise synthesis of ultrafine Au core-PtAu alloy shell nanowires (Au@Pt x Au UFNWs). Among them, Au@Pt 0.077 Au UFNWs exhibit the best performance for formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which only require applied potentials of 0.29 V and −22.6 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm −2 , respectively. The corresponding formic acid electrolyzer realizes the electrochemical H 2 production at a voltage of only 0.51 V with 10 mA cm −2 current density. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the Au-riched PtAu alloy structure can facilitates the direct oxidation pathway of FAOR and consequently elevates the FAOR activity of Au@Pt 0.077 Au UFNWs. This work provides meaningful insights into the electrochemical H 2 production from both the construction of advanced bifunctional electrocatalysts and the replacement of OER.