Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of Pd-Pt/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites for enhanced electro-oxidation of ethanol and methanol in alkaline medium

摘要

Herein, a facile ultrasonic-assisted strategy was proposed to fabricate the Pd-Pt alloy/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Pd-Pt/CNTs) nanocomposites. A good number of Pd-Pt alloy nanoparticles with an average of 3.4 +/- 0.5 nm were supported on sidewalls of CNTs with uniform distribution. The composition of the Pd-Pt/CNTs nanocomposites could also be easily controlled, which provided a possible approach for the preparation of other architectures with anticipated properties. The Pd-Pt/CNTs nanocomposites were extensively studied by electron microscopy, induced coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and applied for the ethanol and methanol electro-oxidation reaction in alkaline medium. The electrochemical results indicated that the nanocomposites had better electrocatalytic activities and stabilities, showing promising applications for fuel cells. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.