Study on the mechanism of electrocatalytic methanol oxidation over PtBi-Bi2O3 multifunctional active network catalysts.

Combined with DFT calculations, PtBi*/CNTs electrocatalysts were synthesized via solvothermal method. XRD, HR-TEM, and XPS characterizations confirm that Bi induces Pt lattice distortion, forming a PtBi alloy-Bi2O3 composite structure. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that Pt3Bi*2/CNTs exhibits optimal methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) performance, with a high current density of 7675 ± 187 mA/mgPt, excellent durability over 75 h. The high performance originates from Bi species supplying active *OH continuously via reversible BiO bond hydrolysis, which synergizes with Pt's d-band center modulation to form a "Multifunctional Active Network". In situ FT-IR verifies that this network promotes methanol oxidation toward formate and *CO conversion. Optimizing the Pt/Bi ratio balances Bi's metallic and oxidized states, providing a multi-dimensional strategy for designing high-performance anti-poisoning Pt-based electrocatalysts.