Tethering mesoporous Pd nanoparticles to reduced graphene oxide sheets forms highly efficient electrooxidation catalysts

Abstract

Uniformly sized mesoporous palladium (Pd) nanoparticles tethered to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) surfaces can be prepared with solution phase synthesis. rGO was modified with a block copolymer and a cationic surfactant was employed to assist in the formation of mesoporous metal nanoparticle on the surface of the rGO. This procedure effectively tethers Pd to rGO and ensures good electronic contact for enhanced electrocatalysis. The mesoporous Pd nanoparticles tethered to rGO were employed in the electrooxidation of formic acid. These hybrid composite materials exhibited excellent stability, specific activity and mass activity over state-of-the-art Pd/C catalysts as well as other similar structures reported in the literature.