Defect rich, candied haws shaped AuPtNi alloy nanostructures for highly efficient electrocatalysis

The rational design and synthesis of multimetallic nanostructures (NSs) with rich defects are of significant importance for their diverse applications, including their promising usage as high-efficiency catalysts for alcohol oxidation reaction as a fuel source. Here, we report the synthesis of defect-rich, candied haws-shaped AuPtNi NSs using presynthesized gold (Au) nanowires as templates. The ternary AuPtNi NSs possess rich defects such as twins, stacking faults, and atomic steps. Impressively, the AuPtNi NSs exhibited excellent mass and specific activities toward methanol and ethanol oxidation reactions under acidic conditions. Our current work paves the way for the rational design and controlled synthesis of defect-rich multimetallic NSs to boost their performances in catalytic reactions.