Abstract
PdCo alloy is a promising catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction of direct methanol fuel cells because of its high activity and the tolerance to methanol. We have applied this catalyst in order to realize on‐chip fuel cell which is a membraneless design. The novel design made the fuel cells to be flexible and integratable with other microdevices. Here, we summarize our recent research on the synthesis of nanostructured PdCo catalyst by electrochemical methods, which enable us to deposit the alloy onto microelectrodes of the on‐chip fuel cells. First, the electrodeposition of PdCo is discussed in detail, and then, dealloying for introducing nanopores into the electrodeposits is described. Finally, electrochemical response and activities are fully discussed.
Highlights
Recent progress in microelectrochemical devices, for example, on-chip fuel cells [1,2,3,4,5,6], microbatteries [7, 8], and onchip sensors [9, 10], inevitably requires developments of both electrode materials with a large surface area and processes for depositing such materials precisely onto the tiny current collectors
We summarize our recent research on the synthesis of nanostructured PdCo catalyst by electrochemical methods, which enable us to deposit the alloy onto microelectrodes of the on-chip fuel cells [1]
500 nm (c) this view, we proposed a simple method to synthesize a unique nanostructure with both a hierarchical porosity and a large surface area, that is nanoporous dendrites, which have macropores between dendrites formed by electrodeposition and nanopores formed by dealloying (Figure 1(b))
Summary
Recent progress in microelectrochemical devices, for example, on-chip fuel cells [1,2,3,4,5,6], microbatteries [7, 8], and onchip sensors [9, 10], inevitably requires developments of both electrode materials with a large surface area and processes for depositing such materials precisely onto the tiny current collectors For such selective deposition, we regard that electrodeposition is attractive, because this technique enables us to selectively synthesize metals onto conductive materials, even onto microelectrodes and to directly synthesize alloys without thermal treatment [11,12,13]. The same thing holds true for the other ordered phases These results indicate that the surface of PdCo alloys is stabilized in the fuel cell condition by the formation of Pd skin layer
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
