One-step facile synthesis of carbon-supported PdAu nanoparticles and their electrochemical property and stability

Well-crystallized PdAu nanoparticles supported on Ketjen Black (KB) were successfully fabricated when both Pd and Au wires were served as the electrode pair by a solution plasma technique at atmospheric pressure. The synthesis of PdAu nanoparticles was almost simultaneous with their dispersion on KB. As-obtained PdAu nanoparticles were confirmed to be alloy by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) of each particle. PdAu nanoparticles with the average diameter of 2-5 nm were equably distributed on KB. PdAu nanoparticles showed good electrocatalytic activity both in acidic and alkaline solution corresponding to their obvious oxidation and reduction features. PdAu nanoparticles have improved electrochemical stability compared with the electrochemical properties of Pd and Au nanoparticles mixture after long time multi-scan cyclic voltammetry. Multi-scan cyclic voltammetry also presented the PdAu nanoparticles in alkaline solution have better stability than that in acidic solution. Thus as-obtained PdAu alloy nanoparticles would become a promising electrocatalysts for fuel cells or Li-air batteries. This novel process showed its potential applications in designing optimization of catalysts for fuel cells or Li-air batteries in future.