Au-Fe system: application in electro-catalysis

Radiolytic reduction of mixed Au-III/Fe-II ethylene glycol solutions led to two kinds of particles: 2 nm Fe rich nanoparticles as well as large rods (a few tens of nm) and faceted particles rich in gold and containing a small amount of iron. The adjunction of iron to gold enhances remarkably its electro-catalytic properties toward oxygen and proton reduction. Our results show that Au-Fe system is very promising for application in fuel cells.