Synthesis of Monodisperse Plasmonic Au Core-Pt Shell Concave Nanocubes with Superior Catalytic and Electrocatalytic Activity

This work describes a facile and effective method for synthesis of concave Au@Pt nanocubes via a galvanic replacement process using preformed Au@Ag truncated nanocubes as templates. We found that the as-prepared concave Au@Pt nanocubes exhibit a unique plasmonic optical property and catalytic activity higher than that of a commercial Pt black catalyst in the catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol into p-aminophenol by NaBH4, and more importantly, the as-prepared concave Au@Pt nanocubes exhibit significantly higher electrocatalytic activity and greater durability for the ethanol oxidation reaction in alkaline media than commercial Pt black. The as-synthesized plasmonic Au core-Pt shell nanocubes, because of their well-defined concave core shell nanostructure and high level of electrocatalytic performance, may find promising potential applications in various fields, such as ethanol fuel cells.