Carbon nanofiber supported bimetallic PdAu nanoparticles for formic acid electrooxidation

Carbon nanofiber (CNF) supported PdAu nanoparticles are synthesized with sodium citrate as the stabilizing agent and sodium borohydride as the reducing agent. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) characterization indicates that the synthesized PdAu particles are well dispersed on the CNF surface and X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization indicates that the alloying degree of the synthesized PdAu nanoparticles can be improved by adding tetrahydrofuran to the synthesis solution. The results of electrochemical characterization indicate that the addition of Au can promote the electrocatalytic activity of Pd/C catalyst for formic acid oxidation and the CNF supported high-alloying PdAu catalyst possesses better electrocatalytic activity and stability for formic acid oxidation than either the CNF supported low-alloying PdAu catalyst or the CNF supported Pd catalyst. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.