Carbon-supported PdSn nanoparticles as catalysts for formic acid oxidation

Pd and PdSn nanoparticles supported on Vulcan XC-72 carbon are prepared by a microwave-assisted polyol process. The catalysts are characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), linear sweeping voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. The results show that the Pd and PdSn nanoparticles, which are uniformly dispersed on carbon, are 2–10 nm in diameters. All Pd/C and PdSn/C catalysts display the characteristic diffraction peaks of a Pd face-centered cubic (fcc) crystal structure. It is found that the addition of Sn to Pd can increase the lattice parameter of Pd (fcc) crystal. The PdSn/C catalysts have higher electrocatalytic activity for formic acid oxidation than a comparative Pd/C catalyst and show great potential as less expensive electrocatalyst for formic acid electrooxidation in DFAFCs.