Facile fabrication of PtAu alloy clusters using solution plasma sputtering and their electrocatalytic activity

Well-crystallized PtAu alloy clusters of about 2.0 nm in mean diameter are successfully fabricated via a one-step route of solution plasma sputtering at atmospheric pressure. The solution plasma provides a novel reaction field with highly energetic state for the formation of PtAu alloy clusters. The synergetic effects of rapid energetic radicals' bombardment, atom vapor diffusion, plasma expansion and solution medium condensation resulted in the formation of PtAu alloy clusters with various relative atom amount ratios. PtAu alloy clusters are highly dispersive in water for a long time without any polymeric stabilizer. As-fabricated PtAu alloy clusters show well electrocatalytic activity. PtAu alloy clusters are easily collected and well re-dispersed in various organic solvents for various potential applications. And PtAu alloy clusters supported on carbon were successfully fabricated by a one-step route. These results imply that this novel process will have potential application in future in the design and mass production of various multifunctional metal and/or alloy clusters. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.