Improved catalysis of room temperature synthesized Pd-Cu alloy nanoparticles for anodic oxidation of ethanol in alkaline media

• Room temperature synthesis of PdxCu1-x alloy nanoparticle without caping agent.
• Pd0.90Cu0.10/C nanocatalyst shows the best and synergic catalytic activity in EOR.
• Ethanol oxidation occurs through acetaldehyde intermediate.
• Exchange current density for Pd0.90Cu0.10/C is as high as1.12 × 10−3 mAcm−2.

In search for cost-effective anode material of direct ethanol fuel cell, nanoparticles of Pd, Cu and PdxCu1-x alloy have been synthesized in absence of any capping agent by one pot reduction and co-reduction of respective metal precursors at room temperature. The spectroscopic and microscopic studies reveal that the particles are loosely agglomerated interconnected spherical shaped nanoalloy with a radius in the range of 17–25 nm. Electrochemical studies of graphite supported synthesized nanoparticles reveal that Pd0.90Cu0.10/C is the best and exhibits synergistic catalytic activity. This electrode shows the highest exchange current density for ethanol oxidation reaction and higher catalytic activity for oxidizing acetaldehyde. A reaction mechanism is also proposed in the study.

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