Pd-Pt Bimetallic Nanodendrites with High Activity for Oxygen Reduction

Journal Article · Fri Jun 05 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Science (Washington, D.C.)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1170377· OSTI ID:1041114

Lim, B; Tao, J; Jiang, M; Camargo, P H.C.; Cho, E C; Lu, X; Zhu, Y; Xia, Y

Controlling the morphology of Pt nanostructures can provide a great opportunity to improve their catalytic properties and increase their activity on a mass basis. We synthesized Pd-Pt bimetallic nanodendrites consisting of a dense array of Pt branches on a Pd core by reducing K{sub 2}PtCl{sub 4} with L-ascorbic acid in the presence of uniform Pd nanocrystal seeds in an aqueous solution. The Pt branches supported on faceted Pd nanocrystals exhibited relatively large surface areas and particularly active facets toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the rate-determining step in a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell. The Pd-Pt nanodendrites were two and a half times more active on the basis of equivalent Pt mass for the ORR than the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst and five times more active than the first-generation supportless Pt-black catalyst.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) Transmission Electron Microscope
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE SC OFFICE OF SCIENCE (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-98CH10886
• OSTI ID: 1041114
• Report Number(s): BNL--90368-2009-JA; KC0201010
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.) Journal Issue: 5932 Vol. 324; ISSN SCIEAS; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CATALYSTS
MORPHOLOGY
NANOSTRUCTURES
OXYGEN
PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS
SEEDS
SURFACE AREA
transmission electron microscope