Characterization and Electrocatalytic Features of PtPd and PdPt Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Methanol Electro‐oxidation

Abstract This work entails a comprehensive study on PtPd, and PdPt bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) supported on Vulcan XC‐72 carbon towards methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in alkaline media. BNPs with different compositions were synthesized using a flexible and facile polyol method through a heterogeneous nucleation process. The homogeneous BNPs were characterized by SEM, XRD, HR‐TEM and XRF to analyse the crystallographic structure and verified the controlled characteristics. The electrochemical properties and stability were investigated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry, respectively. As a consequence of the electrocatalysts’ controlled composition, a direct correlation between the catalytic activity and the shift in the PtO/PdO reduction potential was observed. The optimal electrocatalyst that overcomes the catalytic performance of PdPt structure, also showed an improvement in the CO anti‐poisoning ability was PtPd (1 : 0.5)/C with a current density of 12.56‐fold higher than of commercial Pt/C. This study about different Pt/Pd structures may provide valuable information for developing new and efficient electrocatalysts towards MOR.