A new metal electrocatalysts supported matrix: Palladium nanoparticles supported silicon carbide nanoparticles and its application for alcohol electrooxidation

In this paper, we propose a facile approach for palladium nanoparticles load using silicon carbide nanoparticles as the new supported matrix and a familiar NaBH4 as reducer. Detailed X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the resultant products indicated that palladium nanoparticles are successfully immobilized onto the surface of the silicon carbide nanoparticles with uniform size distribution between 5 and 7 nm. The relative electrochemical characterization clearly demonstrated excellent electrocatalytic activity of this material toward alcohol in alkaline electrolytes. Investigation on the characteristics of the electrocatalytic activity of this material further indicated that the palladium nanoparticles supporting on SiC are very promising for direct alcohol fuel cells (DMFCs), biosensor and electronic devices. Moreover, it was proved that silicon carbide nanoparticles with outstanding properties as support for catalysis are of strong practical interest. And the silicon carbide could perform attractive role in adsorbents, electrodes, biomedical applications, etc. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.