Electrodeposition of Mesoporous Ni-Rich Ni-Pt Films for Highly Efficient Methanol Oxidation

The use of soft templates for the electrosynthesis of mesoporous materials has shown tremendous potential in energy and environmental domains. Among all the approaches that have been featured in the literature, block copolymer-templated electrodeposition had robustness and a simple method, but it practically cannot be used for the synthesis of mesoporous materials not based on Pt or Au. Nonetheless, extending and understanding the possibilities and limitations of block copolymer-templated electrodeposition to other materials and substrates is still challenging. Herein, a critical analysis of the role of the solution’s primary electroactive components and the applied potential were performed in order to understand their influences on the mesostructure of Ni-rich Ni-Pt mesoporous films. Among all the components, tetrahydrofuran and a platinum (IV) complex were shown to be crucial for the formation of a truly 3D mesoporous network. The electrosynthesized well-ordered mesoporous Ni-rich Ni-Pt deposits exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance for methanol oxidation in alkaline conditions, improved stability and durability after 1000 cycles, and minimal CO poisoning.

Nafion®-coated mesoporous Pd film toward remarkably enhanced detection of lactic acid

Mesoporous metal films can detect biomarkers with high sensitivity. Further coating the mesoporous metal with polymers enhances sensing selectivity by favoring specific biomarkers against other interferents. In the present study, we report the fabrication of a Nafion®-coated mesoporous Pd film to filtrate interferents present in sweat during non-invasive biosensing. By using a Nafion®-coated mesoporous Pd film, lactic acid, a metabolite present in sweat, can be successfully detected with high sensitivity.