Supportless PdFe nanorods as highly active electrocatalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cell

The PdFe nanorods (PdFe-NRs) with tunable length were synthesized by an organic phase reaction of [Pd(acac)(2)] and thermal decomposition of [Fe(CO)(5)] in a mixture of oleyamine and octadecene at 160 degrees C. They show a better proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) performance than commercial Pt/C in working voltage region of 0.80-0.65 V, due to their high intrinsic activity to oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), reduced cell inner resistance, and improved mass transport. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.