Synthesis of PdPtCu dendritic alloy nanoparticles and their electrocatalytic properties in methanol/ethanol oxidation

Abstract

It is important that oxidation of fuel molecule, like methanol, ethanol, formic acid, etc., is rapidly proceeded on surface of anode in fuel cell. However, block of CO-intermediate adsorbate on the active site of electrocatalyst is one of the main problems in fuel oxidation reaction. To overcome this poisoning, several methods, such as alloying with other metal elements, are suggested. In this work, successful synthesis of PdPtCu dendritic alloy nanoparticles (DANPs) was accomplished by controlling the nucleation and growth kinetics of NPs. The enhanced catalytic function of the PdPtCu DANPs can be attributed to their optimized binding affinity for adsorbates due to the improved charge transfer the alloy structure. The facilitated charge transfer in the PdPtCu DANPs originates from their well-defined structural characteristics, revealing the importance of alloy structure in the application of alloy NPs.