Facile synthesis of Pt/Pd nanodendrites for the direct oxidation of methanol

The demand for clean and energy-efficient fuel cell systems requires electrocatalysts with greater activity and stability. Here, we report a facile wet-chemical approach for the synthesis of high-quality three-dimensional (3D) Pt/Pd bimetallic nanodendrites. The simple and unique process developed here used oleylamine as a reducing agent, and hydrogen gas to control the morphology. The as-prepared Pt/Pd nanodendrites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The nanodendrites showed superior electrocatalytic activity (609.565 mA mg(-1) Pt) for the oxidation of methanol compared with Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts. This method could provide a general approach for the morphology-controlled synthesis of bimetallic Pt-based nanocatalysts, which are promising materials for applications in fuel cells.