Nanoporous gold-palladium: A binary alloy with high catalytic activity for the electro-oxidation of ethanol

Abstract

Abstract Nanoporous gold (NP–Au) is a promising versatile material that can be used in many fields due to its high conductivity, large surface area, and excellent stability. NP-Au is commonly functionalized by adding or doping other materials. However, difficult functionalizing procedures are oftentimes obstacles towards catalyst development. Herein, a simple method for alloying nanoporous gold with palladium (NP–AuPd) with a tunable Au/Pd ratio is developed. Ternary alloy films of Au–Pd–Mg are prepared by sputter deposition and Mg is dissolved from the alloy to make nanoporous alloy structures. The Au and Pd in NP-AuPd are evenly distributed over the entire structure. The catalytic activity of the developed NP-AuPd is evaluated by oxidizing ethanol in alkaline media. The optimized NP-AuPd shows remarkable catalytic activity and excellent stability. The nanoporous structure not only increases the number of reaction sites and mass transfer, but it also enhances the durability of the catalyst. The developed method can be extended to the preparation of binary nanoporous thin films with controlled compositions and desired catalytic activities.