Nitrogen doped honeycomb-like carbon as a highly efficient catalyst support for Pt-Ru nanoparticles and their electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol

Nitrogen-doped honeycomb-like porous carbons (NHPCs) are synthesized by two-step carbonization of nitrogen containing poly(ionic liquids) polymers using silica sphere as template. Characterization data reveal that the NHPCs possess not only well developed three-dimensionally interconnected porosity, large specific surface area and pore volume, but also good electrical conductivity and excellent mechanical stability. The catalyst prepared by loading Pt-Ru nanoparticles onto NHPCs has been evaluated for methanol oxidation reaction and shows superior activity and stability in comparison with typical commercial Pt-Ru/C electrocatalyst, indicating that NHPC is a highly efficient anode catalyst support for methanol electrooxidation.