Au-based electrocatalysts used in direct methanol fuel cells

Due to the advantage that the Au-based electrocatalysts have excellent CO tolerance for the anode reactions in direct methanol fuel cells, the corresponding researches have attracted extensive attention. Although the activities of the Au-based electrocatalysts without Pt and Pd for the methanol electro-oxidation are much lower than that of the Pt-based electrocatalysts, their investigation and application is still flourishing slowly. Therefore, the Au-based electrocatalyst exhibits a wide application prospect in direct methanol fuel cells. To stimulate researchers focus on the Au-based electro-catalysts with high activity, their research developments, advancements, and application perspectives are discussed deeply in this review.