Bio-directed one-pot synthesis of Pt-Pd alloyed nanoflowers supported on reduced graphene oxide with enhanced catalytic activity for ethylene glycol oxidation

• RGO-PtPd nanoflowers are facilely prepared by a simple one-pot aqueous approach.
• L-histidine is used as the structure-directing agent.
• There is no any seed, template, special apparatus or organic solvent involved.
• The nanocomposites show improved electrocatalytic performance for EGOR.

Amino acids with intrinsic affinity to metallic ions can be employed for controllable synthesis of metal nanocrystals with tunable size and morphology, as well as less toxicity. In this work, L-histidine was exploited as a structure-director for in situ controlled growth of bimetallic PtPd alloyed nanoflowers on reduced graphene oxide (RGO-PtPd nanoflowers) by a simple one-pot aqueous approach at room temperature. There was no seed, template, special apparatus or organic solvent involved in the synthetic process. The as-synthesized nanocomposites displayed improved electrocatalytic ability and durability for ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) as compared to Pt-RGO, Pd-RGO, commercial PtRu/C, Pt black and Pt/C catalysts.

Pt-Pd alloy nanoflowers were uniformly supported on reduced graphene oxide by a facile L-histidine-assisted wet-chemical method. The as-synthesized nanocomposites displayed enhanced electrocatalytic activity and better stability for EGOR.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide