Synthesis, characterization, and electrocatalytic properties of 3D aggregates of palladium nanocrystallites

Three-dimensional (3D) aggregates composed of 5.0 +/- 0.4 nm palladium nanocrystallites (PdNCs) were prepared using ultrasonics in the palladium (II) chloride (PdCl2) H2O/EtOH (5 : 1, V/V) solution by the addition of a quantity of Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). The morphologies, crystal structures and the optical properties of 3D Pd nanostructures were characterised by X-ay diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, respectively. The mechanism of sonochemical reduction of Pd (II) ions was also discussed. The results showed that the formation of aggregates of PdNCs depended on the interaction between PVP and CTAB. Moreover, the electrocatalytic properties of 3D Pd nanostructures modified glassy carbon electrode for ethanol oxidation had been also investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The material exhibited remarkable electrocatalytic behaviour for ethanol oxidation in 1M KOH and appeared as a promising candidate for use in direct ethanol fuel cells.