Size-controllable synthesis and high-performance formic acid oxidation of polycrystalline Pd nanoparticles

A facile approach was developed for the synthesis of polycrystalline palladium nanoparticles(Pd NPs)by using tannic acid(TA) as green reagent and stabilizer in a 30 ℃ water bath. The size of Pd NPs can be tuned in a range of 10–60 nm simply by adjusting the concentration of Pd precursor. The catalytic activity and stability of the as-obtained Pd NPs toward formic acid oxidation were analyzed. It is found that these Pd NPs with different sizes exhibit size-dependent and enhanced formic acid oxidation performance compared to the commercial Pd black catalyst. It should be noted that the Pd catalysts with an average size of 24 nm demonstrate the best catalytic activity and stability among the other prepared Pd NPs, which can be ascribed to its larger electrochemical surface area(ECSA)and polycrystalline structure with defects.