Controlled deposition of Pt on Au nanorods and their catalytic activity towards formic acid oxidation

Platinum submonolayer decorated gold nanorods with controlled coverage were prepared by the addition of Au nanorods into the growth solution of Pt in the presence of NH20H - HCI as the growth agent. The properties of Au nanorods decorated by Pt submonolayer were investigated by various techniques including transimission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electrochemical methods. The Pt decorated Au nanorods on carbon black showed significantly higher activity on formic acid electrooxidation than the conventional Pt/C catalysts. They showed different reaction path of formic acid electrooxidation by suppressing the formation of poisoning intermediate CO. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.