Credit: Image courtesy of Dr. Xiangfeng Duan, University of California, Los Angeles
More active sites and more surface area on catalysts speed the chemical conversion of oxygen and hydrogen into water and electrons, generating electricity. Scientists devised a new synthesis route to produce a catalyst that doubles the conversion rate compared to the best previously reported catalyst. The process begins with a chemically synthesized thin wire with a platinum (Pt) core and a nickel oxide (NiO shell) (top). The team heats the wires to form a platinum-nickel nanowire (NW) (middle).The team electrochemically treats the wire to remove the nickel—resulting in a platinum wire with a jagged surface (bottom).