Pd@Pt Core–Shell Nanoflowers as Efficient Catalyst Toward Methanol Oxidation

Among the various morphologies, the nanoflowers have attracted considerable attention because the nanoflowers own higher surface area and lower density, providing more reaction sites for the adsorbates involved in a close range. In this study, Pd@Pt core–shell nanoflowers were obtained by a simple method. From the experiment results, it would be concluded that the core–shell structure was generated owing to the separate reactions of Pt and Pd processors and the flower-like morphologies were generated because of the effect of CTAC. This special structure enabled excellent performance for the oxidation of methanol due to the synergistic effect between Pd and Pt elements and the resulted larger surface area. Specifically, the specific activity of Pd@Pt core–shell nanoflowers was 0.70 mA cm−2, which was more outstanding than that of Pt black according to the electrochemical tests. Moreover, the Pd@Pt core–shell nanoflowers exhibited better durability than Pt black.