Fabrication of bimetallic PtPd alloy nanospheres supported on rGO sheets for superior methanol electro-oxidation

Abstract Bimetallic PtPd nanospheres strongly fabricated on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets (rGO-PtPd) by simple one pot wet reflux method for superior methanol electro-oxidation. There is no any other polymer or seed involved for preparation of nanocomposite. The as-synthesized materials structure and morphology was calibrated by Powdered X-ray diffraction (P-XRD), Raman, X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The PtPd nanoparticles supported rGO sheets displays superior electro-catalytic activity and stability towards methanol electro-oxidation (MOR) because of their large electrochemical surface area (ECSA, which is 1.68 times greater than that of commercial Pt/C black) and synergistic effect of the bimetallic alloy. The rGO-PtPd showed enhanced electro-catalytic performances towards MOR in acidic media due to particle size and uniform distribution of particles, which rGO-Pt1Pd1 (Pt/Pd molar ratio 1/1) showed the more specific activity, mass activity and stability for MOR. Thus, as-synthesized rGO-PtPd catalyst could apply potential applications in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) to lower their cost and advance their cycle ability, which make it promising for practical catalysis in energy conversion and storage.