Facile construction of mesoporous carbon enclosed with NiCoPx nanoparticles for desirable Pt-based catalyst support in methanol oxidation

Herein, through a simple and environmentally benign mechanical lapping, synchronous phosphorization pyrolysis and NaBH 4 reduction procedure, we have successfully constructed a novel nanoarchitecture, which confines bimetallic phosphides (NiCoP x ) within mesoporous carbon as Pt support for the first time (Pt/NiCoP x @NCNT-NG). Unlike conventional naked transition metal phosphides/carbon hybrids supports, the NiCoP x is encapsulated by graphene shells, in spite of without immediate contact, the electron interactions between NiCoP x and Pt outperform its monometallic phosphide counterparts. Benefiting from the synergistic effect between Pt, NiCoP x and mesoporous carbon, the Pt/NiCoP x @NCNT-NG reveals increased active sites and enhanced intrinsic activity of per active site, resulting in better catalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation reaction . What's more, owing to the protection of the encapsulation carbon layer , the co-catalytic effect of NiCoP x can be well maintained after a long-time exposure. The present work provides a simple avenue to combine transition metal phosphides with mesoporous carbon and sheds new light into the development direction of transition metal phosphides for electrocatalysis .