Facile construction of mesoporous carbon enclosed with NiCoP_x nanoparticles for desirable Pt-based catalyst support in methanol oxidation

Herein, through a simple and environmentally benign mechanical lapping, synchronous phosphorization pyrolysis and NaBH4 reduction procedure, we have successfully constructed a novel nanoarchitecture, which confines bimetallic phosphides (NiCoPx) within mesoporous carbon as Pt support for the first time (Pt/NiCoPx@NCNT-NG). Unlike conventional naked transition metal phosphides/carbon hybrids supports, the NiCoPx is encapsulated by graphene shells, in spite of without immediate contact, the electron interactions between NiCoPx and Pt outperform its monometallic phosphide counterparts. Benefiting from the synergistic effect between Pt, NiCoPx and mesoporous carbon, the Pt/NiCoPx@NCNT-NG reveals increased active sites and enhanced intrinsic activity of per active site, resulting in better catalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation reaction. What's more, owing to the protection of the encapsulation carbon layer, the co-catalytic effect of NiCoPx can be well maintained after a long-time exposure. The present work provides a simple avenue to combine transition metal phosphides with mesoporous carbon and sheds new light into the development direction of transition metal phosphides for electrocatalysis.