Bimetallic AuPd nanoclusters supported on graphitic carbon nitride: One-pot synthesis and enhanced electrocatalysis for oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution

•Bimetallic AuPd nanoclusters are well distributed on graphitic carbon nitride sheets.•The one-pot aqueous method is simple and rapid, without any specific additives involved.•The nanocomposites display enlarged electrochemically active surface area.•The nanocomposites show enhanced electrocatalytic performances for ORR and HER.

Herein, we developed a facile one-pot aqueous method to fabricate well-distributed bimetallic AuPd nanoclusters supported on graphitic carbon nitride (AuPd NCs/g-C3N4). The method is simple, rapid, without using any specific additives. The nanocomposites displayed enlarged electrochemically active surface area. The obtained nanocatalyst exhibited the more positive onset and half-wave potentials at 1.09 and 0.98 V (vs. NHE) for oxygen reduction reaction, respectively, along with the enhanced kinetic current density of 1.86 mA cm−2. Meanwhile, the catalyst showed the improved catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction with the onset potential of −29 mV (vs. NHE) and small Tafel slope of 47 mV dec−1. These results demonstrated the improved electrocatalytic performance of the catalyst in contrast with commercial Pt/C (50%) and Pd/C (20%) catalysts.

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