Synthesis of mesoporous platinum-copper films by electrochemical micelle assembly and their electrochemical applications.

We have electrochemically synthesized mesoporous platinum-copper films with various compositions in an aqueous surfactant solution. By tuning the composition ratios of the platinum and copper sources in the precursor solutions, mesoporous bimetallic films with copper contents that dramatically change from 0 to 70 mol % can be successfully prepared. The obtained bimetallic films possess uniformly sized mesopores over the entire area. These mesoporous platinum-copper films are electrochemically active and show composition-dependent catalytic activity and stability for the methanol oxidation reaction. The bimetallic mesoporous films are a promising new class of electrocatalyst for the future.