Biomolecule-assisted synthesis of porous PtPd alloyed nanoflowers supported on reduced graphene oxide with highly electrocatalytic performance for ethanol oxidation and oxygen reduction

In this work, we have prepared porous PtPd alloyed nanoflowers uniformly supported on reduced graphene oxide by a simple and facile wet-chemical method, with the assistance of cytosine as a structure-directing agent. The products were mainly characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The as-prepared nanocomposites displayed improved electrocatalytic performances toward ethanol oxidation in alkaline media and oxygen reduction in acidic media, which make it a promising electrocatalyst in fuel cells. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.