Synthesis of Pd-Cu hollow spheres on the surface of SnO 2 nanorods for ethanol oxidation

The rod-like tin dioxide was prepared through solvothermal method using SnCl 2 ·5H 2 O in the aqueous solution of glucose. Then the Pd-Cu hollow spheres catalyst was fabricated on the SnO 2 by using the glutamic acid as additive, glycol as reducing agent. The size of the catalyst was about 100 nm, with narrow size distribution, the specific surface area was 43.97 m 2 g -1 , which was about 1.4 times higher than that of the catalyst without SnO 2 carried. From the electrocatalytic performance tests with carbon nanotubes as catalyst conductive agent, the catalysts exhabited higher electrocatalytic activity and stability, the current density was 119.4 mA cm -2 . It showed that the introduction of a suitable metal oxide may release more active sites of the catalyst to improve the electrocatalytic activity of the catalyst.