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A Bifunctional Nano‐Electrocatalyst Based on a Flower‐like Gold/Palladium Bimetallic Alloy Nanostructure and Its Graphene Hybrid
Author(s) -
Sahu Subash Chandra,
Satpati Biswarup,
Besra Laxmidhar,
Jena Bikash Kumar
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
chemcatchem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.497
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1867-3899
pISSN - 1867-3880
DOI - 10.1002/cctc.201500465
Subject(s) - bifunctional , bimetallic strip , electrocatalyst , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , nanostructure , alloy , materials science , graphene , palladium , chemical engineering , electrochemistry , nanotechnology , catalysis , electrode , chemistry , metallurgy , organic chemistry , metal , engineering
This work demonstrates the one‐pot, seed‐free synthesis of unique flower‐like Au/Pd alloy nanostructures and their self‐assembly on a graphene support in an aqueous medium. The as‐prepared nanostructures were characterized thoroughly by TEM, UV/Vis spectrophotometry, XRD, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The bifunctional electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of methanol and reduction of oxygen was investigated thoroughly. The results reveal that the Au/Pd alloy nanostructures show a composition‐dependent electrochemical activity. The Au/Pd alloy nanostructure with a flower‐like morphology shows superior electrocatalytic activity compared to its monometallic Pd counterpart and a commercially available Pd/C. Furthermore, the graphene support tunes the electrocatalytic performance of the Au/Pd alloy nanoflowers and substantiates their promising energy‐conversion applications for use in fuel cells.