Au icosahedrons as efficient electrocatalyst for glucose-based biofuel cells by strain engineering

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Strain engineering has proven to be a powerful method in tailoring the surface electronic structure and the catalytic properties of nanomaterials. Here, we develope a green and effective strategy for synthesis of Au icosahedron and report systematic studies Au nanocrystals (including cubes, octahedrons, and icosahedrons) with similar nanosizes as efficient electrocatalyst for glucose-based biofuel cells. Our results demonstrate that the penta-twinned Au icosahedron catalyst shows a maximum specific activity in glucose electrooxidation with 2.5 mA cm−2 current density, which is over 3 times higher than the Au octahedron catalyst. The microstructures of Au icosahedron confirm that such enhanced electrocatalytic activity could be ascribed to the intrinsic surface strain.