Room-temperature synthesis and electrocatalysis of carbon nanotubes supported palladium-iron alloy nanoparticles

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) supported palladium-iron bimetallic nanoparticles (Pd-Fe/CNTs) catalyst is synthesized using palladium hexacyanoferrate (PdHCF) as reaction precursor. In this method, the negatively charged PdHCF nanoparticles self-assemble on the positively charged polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) functionalized CNTs through electrostatic interaction, and then are reduced to Pd-Fe alloy nanoparticles by sodium borohydride. The physicochemical properties of Pd-Fe/CNTs are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These structural analyses reveal that the Pd-Fe/CNTs catalyst possesses the high alloying degree and the small particle size. Electrochemical measurements show that the eletrocatalytic activity of the Pd-Fe/MWCNTs catalyst for the methanol oxidation is better than that of the Pd/CNTs catalyst, which originates from the synergistic effect between Pd atom and Fe atom. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.