Facile synthesis of bimetallic alloyed Pt-Pd nanocubes on reduced graphene oxide with enhanced eletrocatalytic properties

In this work, a one-pot solvothermal method was developed for large-scaled synthesis of well-defined bimetallic alloyed Pt-Pd nanocubes uniformly supported on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (Pt-Pd nanocubes/RGOs). Herein, poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and KI were employed as a capping agent and a structure-directing additive, respectively, and N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) is used as a solvent and a reducing agent. The as-prepared Pt-Pd nanocubes/RGOs exhibited the enlarged electrochemically active surface area, enhanced electrocatalytic activity, and improved stability for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), compared with commercial Pt-C (10 wt %). © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.