One-pot synthesis of Ag-rich AgPd alloy nanoactiniae and their enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reduction

The electro-catalytic properties can be effectively optimized by designing bimetallic alloy nanoparticles with high-content less-active metal to enhance the competence of more-active noble metal. Herein, a one-pot hydrothermal approach is demonstrated for the controllable synthesis of Ag-rich Ag9Pd1 alloy nanoactiniae with obviously enhanced electro-catalytic activity (2.23 mA cm(-2) at 0.85V) and stability for oxygen reduction reaction. In alkaline solution, the ORR onset potential and half-wave potential of the Ag9Pd1 alloy nanoactiniae can reach a value of 1.02V and 0.89V, respectively, which origin from strong ligand and ensemble effects between Pd element and Ag element. The nanocrystals are uniformly alloyed, displaying a Ag9Pd1 combination, as displayed by an assembly of X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). This concept of tuning bimetallic alloy nanocrystals with low concentrations of more precious metal may be a promising approach to be applicable to a wide range of alloy nanocrystals. (C) 2018 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.