Electrodeposition of AuPt Alloy Nanostructures on a Biotemplate with Hierarchically Assembled M13 Virus Film Used for Methanol Oxidation Reaction

Herein, we report an electrode surface with a hierarchical assembly of wild-type M13 virus nanofibers (M13) to nucleate the AuPt alloy nanostructures by electrodeposition. M13 was pulled on the electrode surface to produce a virus film, and then a layer of sol–gel matrix (SSG) was wrapped over the surface to protect the film, thereby a bio-template was constructed. Blending of metal binding domains of M13 and amine groups of the SSG of the bio-template were effectively nucleate and directed the growth of nanostructures (NSs) such as Au, Pt and AuPt alloy onto the modified electrode surface by electrodeposition. An electrocatalytic activity of the modified electrode toward methanol oxidation in alkaline medium was investigated and found an enhanced mass activity (534 mA/mgPt) relative to its controlled experiments. This bio-templated growth of NSs with precise composition could expedite the intention of new alloy materials with tuneable properties and will have efficacy in green energy, catalytic, and energy storage applications.