Effect of Capping Agent on the Shape and Catalytic Activity of PtPd Bimetallic Alloy Nanostructures

Abstract

In this work, PtPd nanostructures have been synthesized via the chemical reduction method with different capping agents (i.e., PVA, PVP, and PEG), whilst the strong reducing agent, NaBH4, was used in this study to reduce the metal salt to zero-valent PtPd nanostructures. Both PtPd synthesized with PVP and PEG exhibit nanoparticle structures, whereas PtPd synthesized in PVA demonstrates large, interconnected network structures. Pt-Pd synthesized with PVP exhibits a high ECSA value of 692.68 m2/g compared to without capping agent (287.80 m2/g) indicating large active sites, which increases its catalytic function. This study concludes that the presence of a capping agent influences the morphological structure and the catalyst's efficiency in performing a redox reaction at the surface.