Nanoporous gold-palladium with high activity and durability for electro-oxidation of ethanol

Abstract

We report the investigation of nanoporous gold-palladium binary alloy catalyst for electro-oxidation of ethanol. We made a ternary alloy of gold, palladium, magnesium and dissolved it in dilute acetic acid for making a nanoporous structure. The microstructure of this catalyst has been characterized using scanning electron microscopy. The results show the as-prepared nanoporous gold-palladium(NPGP) has open pores and ligaments with a size of ~40 nm. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that this NPGP catalyst has a remarkable electrocatalytic activity and stability towards ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. This method could be extended to easily prepare binary nanoporous structures with designed composition and desired catalytic activity.