Synthesis of Pd/Pt core/shell nanostructures with truncated-octahedral morphology toward formic acid oxidation

In this study, a simple one-pot method was adopted to synthetize Pd/Pt core/shell nanostructures with truncated-octahedral morphology. The morphology of the obtained Pd/Pt nanoparticles was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). In addition, the composition was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and the electric structures were studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Based on the above results, it could be noticed that Pd/Pt core/shell nanostructures with truncated-octahedral morphology were produced, where the core consisted of Pd atoms and the shell consisted of Pt atoms. In order to test the catalytic properties of the prepared Pd/Pt nanoparticles, cyclic voltammetry (CV) was carried out in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 0.5 M H2SO4 + 1 M HCOOH. Compared with commercial Pt black, the Pd/Pt core/shell nanostructures with truncated-octahedral morphology exhibited higher activity and stability toward formic acid oxidation.