Intermetallic PtPb nanoparticles prepared by sodium naphthalide reduction of metal-organic precursors:: Electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid

Intermetallic PtPb nanoparticles have been synthesized by the chemical reduction of dimethyl( 1,5cyclooctadiene) platinum and lead( II) 2- ethylhexanoate by sodium naphthalide in THF or diglyme. If exposed to air quickly, the product becomes warm to the touch presumably due to surface oxidation, yet powder X- ray diffraction shows that the product is crystalline PtPb with a mean crystal domain size of 16 nm. If the product is exposed to air slowly, the pXRD pattern shows much broader and weaker peaks. Performing the synthesis in diglyme allows the crystal domain size to be controlled by annealing at temperatures below the boiling point of diglyme ( 162 degrees C). The product has been characterized by SEM, STEM, CBED, and EDX. Activity of the PtPb nanoparticles for formic acid oxidation is reported. The samples evaluated exhibit a remarkable ability to oxidize formic acid, with high mass activities and onset potentials similar to those reported previously for bulk PtPb electrodes.