A rational design of bimetallic PdAu nanoflowers as efficient catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction*

Abstract

Methanol fuel cells have been intensively developed as clean and high-efficiency energy conversion system due to their high efficiency and low emission of pollutants. Here, we developed a simple aqueous synthetic method to prepare bimetallic PdAu nanoflowers catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in alkaline environment. Their composition can be directly tuned by changing the ratio between Pd and Au precursors. Compared with commercial Pd/C catalyst, all of the PdAu nanoflowers catalysts show the enhanced catalytic activity and durability. In particular, the PdAu nanoflowers specific activity reached 0.72 mA/cm2, which is 14 times that of commercial Pd/C catalyst. The superior MOR activity could be attributed to the unique porous structure and the shift of the d-band center of Pd.