Synthesis of Pt and bimetallic PtPd nanostructures on Au nanoparticles for use as methanol tolerant oxygen reduction reaction catalysts

Abstract

Core-shell structured Au-PtPd/C and Au-Pt/C nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using a successive reduction process on carbon supported Au with PtPd and Pt particles. Structural analyses of the core-shell NPs revealed uniformly distributed fine particles (<5 nm in diameter) on carbon particles and selectively deposited Pt and bimetallic PtPd structures on the Au surface. The activity of the NPs was investigated for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in both H<inf>2</inf>SO<inf>4</inf> solutions with and without CH<inf>3</inf>OH. In Au-Pt and Au-PtPd NPs, the activities for the ORR decreased in the solution without CH<inf>3</inf>OH as the amount of Pd increased; moreover, Au-PtPd NPs showed higher activity than Au-Pt NPs in solution with CH<inf>3</inf>OH due to its enhanced tolerance for methanol oxidation. Thus, the high methanol oxidation reaction tolerance of Au-PtPd NPs is ascribed to the synergistic effect resulting from its thin structure and bimetallic PtPd composition. © 2015 The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique