Developing highly efficient bifunctional cathode and anode electrocatalysts is very important for the large-scale application of direct formic acid fuel cells. However, the high-cost and poor CO-tolerance ability of the most commonly used Pt greatly block this process. To increase the utilization efficiency and extend bifunctional properties of precious Pt, herein, coral-like Pt₃Ag nanocrystals are developed as an excellent bifunctional electrocatalyst through a facile one-pot solvothermal method. The formation mechanism of Pt₃Ag nanocorals has been elaborated well via a series of control experiments. It is proved that 1-naphthol serving as a guiding surfactant plays a key role in the formation of high-quality nanocorals. Thanks to the unique coral-like structure and alloy effects, the developed Pt₃Ag nanocorals present significantly enhanced electrocatalytic properties (including activity, stability and CO-tolerance ability) towards both the cathodic oxygen reduction and anodic formic acid oxidation, as compared with those of commercial Pt black and Pt-based nanoparticles. The present synthetic method can also be extended to fabricate other bimetallic electrocatalysts with unique morphology and structure.

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对于直接甲酸燃料电池的大规模应用而言，开发高效的双功能阴极和阳极电催化剂非常重要。但是，最常用的Pt的高成本和较差的CO耐受能力极大地阻碍了这一过程。为了提高利用效率并扩展贵重Pt的双功能性，本文通过简便的一锅溶剂热法开发了珊瑚状的Pt ₃ Ag纳米晶体作为优良的双功能电催化剂。Pt ₃的形成机理银纳米珊瑚已经通过一系列对照实验得到了很好的阐述。已证明1-萘酚作为指导表面活性剂在形成高质量纳米珊瑚中起关键作用。由于具有独特的珊瑚状结构和合金效应，与那些相比，已开发的Pt ₃ Ag纳米珊瑚对阴极氧还原和阳极甲酸氧化均具有显着增强的电催化性能（包括活性，稳定性和耐CO耐受能力）。商业化的Pt黑色和Pt基纳米颗粒。本合成方法还可以扩展到制造具有独特形态和结构的其他双金属电催化剂。

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