Pd nanoparticles on mesoporous tungsten carbide as a non-Pt electrocatalyst for methanol electrooxidation reaction in alkaline solution

We demonstrate Pd nanoparticles on well-defined mesoporous tungsten carbide (Pd/meso-WC) for methanol electrooxidation in alkaline solution. The meso-WC exhibits mesoporous structure with ∼8.5 nm in average pore size and ∼47 m2 g−1 in specific surface area. The Pd nanoparticles with size of ∼3.3 nm are highly dispersed on the meso-WC. The electron transfer from W to Pd due to the difference of electronegativity is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The improved electrocatalytic activity and stability for methanol electrooxidation of Pd/meso-WC is likely to be mainly attributed to a strong interaction between Pd nanoparticles and mesoporous tungsten carbide structure.