A Facile Preparation of Mesoporous Carbon Composites with Well-Dispersed Pd Nanoparticles and Their Utilization as Supports for Pt Catalysts

Palladium-introduced ordered mesoporous carbon (Pd-C) composite materials were prepared through a facile co-assembly process by employing nonionic block copolymers (Pluronic F127) as a structure-directing agent, low-molecular weight phenolic resin (resol) as a carbon precursor and tetraethyl orthosilicate and palladium chloride as additives. The addition of Pd nanoparticles (less than 9 wt.%) were well-dispersed throughout the Pd-C frameworks without destroying the ordered tubular mesochannels. Layered graphitic sheets were readily formed due to the catalytic graphitization of amorphous carbon by Pd nanoparticles, leading to an increased crystallinity and electronic conductivity of carbon support (Pd-C). The Pt/Pd-C catalysts were prepared by loading Pt nanoparticles onto the Pd-C supports. Abundant Pt nanoparticles with an average size of 3 nm were well-deposited onto the Pd-C framework by the means of the distributed anchor sites of Pd nanoparticles, finally increasing the utilization of Pt catalyst. Herein, the Pt catalyst supported on Pd-C composite materials exhibited much higher electrochemical active surface areas compared to Pt catalysts supported on pure ordered mesoporous carbon because of its increased electronic conductivity, active anchor sites and electrocatalytic active Pd nanoparticles. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.