Nano-engineering PdNi networks by voltammetric dealloying for ethanol oxidation

Abstract

PdNi particle networks (PdNi NN) are prepared by voltammetric dealloying using catkin-like PdNi nanoparticles as precursor. It is found that voltammetric dealloying plays an important role for the formation of these networks. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction are employed to show the evolution of the morphology of the as-prepared catalysts. The results generated from the cyclic voltammetry experiments showed that the PdNi NN was electrocatalytically active toward the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Compared with PdNi/C and commercial Pd/C, the oxidation peak potential of PdNi NN shifted positively by + 105 and + 168 mV, and the peak current density increased by 1.53 and 3.75 times. The high electrocatalytic activity of PdNi NN toward the EOR afforded the feasibility to exploit highly active electro catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells.