Photocatalytic synthesis of highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide and their application in methanol electro-oxidation

Abstract

In this communication, we present a green photocatalytic method for the synthesis of highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs) with an average diameter of ca.10 ± 1 nm on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), using tin(IV) porphyrin (SnP) as a photocatalyst for the reduction of both graphene oxide (GO) and Pd(II). The as-prepared PdNPs–RGO nanocomposites exhibit higher electrocatalytic activities than the commercial Pd/C catalyst for methanol electro-oxidation in alkaline media.