Synthesis of Branched Au-PdAg Hybrid Nanosheets by Controlled Reduction in a Galvanic Replacement Reaction

We report a niche strategy to fabricate planar trimetallic nanocrystals with in-plane branches and a unique hybrid structure. The success of current work relies on the use of seeded growth to produce Au@Ag core-shell nanocubes, followed by the reaction with an excessive third metal precursor (i. e., Pd) via galvanic replacement reaction (GRR) in the presence of controlled reduction. The morphology of resulting products varied in the order of cube, concave cube, hollow cage, yolk-shell frame, and finally branched nanoplates with Au-PdAg hybrid structure. The controlled reduction involved in the GRR process, together with the use of Au seed at appropriate amounts and docosyltrimethylammonium chloride as the capping agent, is demonstrated to be crucial for the formation of such unique structure. When loaded on carbon black and working as electrocatalysts for electroxidation of ethanol in alkaline media, the current products exhibit satisfying electrocatalytic activity (e. g., 591 mA mg(Pd)(-1) in mass activity and 10.01 A m(-2) in specific activity), improved kinetics, and long-term durability, as compared to commercial Pt/C. The present study offers a feasible route to applying precise spatial control over elemental metals for two-dimensional dendritic noble metal nanocrystals and could be potentially extended to other metals or alloy.