Morphology engineering of self-assembled bimetallic PtCo alloy nanofoams as efficient multifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and alcohol oxidation

The PtCo alloy nanofoam catalyst with optimized surface composition prepared by morphology engineering possesses enhanced multifunctional electrocatalytic performance. [Display omitted] •Morphology engineering of PtCo alloy nanofoams efficiently improved the utilization of Pt.•Self-assembled porous bimetallic PtCo ANs possess multifunctional electrocatalytic properties.•The Pt2Co1-ANs sample with optimizing surface composition exhibits enhanced catalytic activity. The exploration of high properties of electrocatalysts is imperative for the commercialization application of fuel cells. Enhancing the catalytic activity and stability of Pt-based catalysts can be achieved by rationally designing their morphology and composition. Here, we synthesized self-assembled PtCo alloy nanofoams (ANs) catalysts with controllable surface composition and porous network. The experimental results show that prepared PtxCo1-ANs catalysts display excellent electrochemical performance in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Interestingly, the mass activities of Pt2Co1-ANs with optimized surface composition for ORR, MOR, and EOR are 6.41, 6.64, and 7.71-fold higher than commercial Pt/C catalysts, respectively. Meantime, it also maintains high electrocatalytic durability in ORR, MOR, and EOR. Such results ascribe to the modified surface composition, optimized electronic structure, and porous interconnected nanofoam structure. These findings provide valuable insights into the design of highly active and durable multifunctional electrocatalysts with controllable shapes and composition.