Nanoporous palladium fabricated from an amorphous Pd42.5Cu30Ni7.5P20 precursor and its ethanol electro-oxidation performance

• Nanoporous Pd was preferentially formed at high current densities applied.
• Nanoporous Pd with a pore size of 2–5 nm and ligament size of about 4 nm.
• Nanoporous Pd has a superior ethanol electro-oxidation performance.
• Better catalytic performance of nanoporous Pd is due to its high porosity.

A fcc nanoporous palladium (NP Pd) with a pore size of ∼2 nm and ligament size of ∼4 nm is obtained after electrochemical dealloying an amorphous Pd42.5Cu30Ni7.5P20 precursor in a 0.1 mol dm−3 H2SO4 solution at constant current densities of 17 mA cm−2 for 12 ks. A nanoporous Pd–P solid solution forms at lower currents. The cyclic voltammetry results reveal that NP Pd has a superior ethanol oxidation ability, about 20 times higher oxidation current than bulk Pd in the alkaline conditions. This can be attributed to the small pore sizes and fine ligaments of the NP Pd electro-catalysis.