Rapid room-temperature synthesis of Pd nanodendrites on reduced graphene oxide for catalytic oxidation of ethylene glycol and glycerol

In this paper, a simple, fast, and green method is developed for preparation of uniform Pd nanodendrites anchored on reduced graphene oxide (Pd/RGO) at room temperature, with the assistance of octylphenoxypolye thoxyethanol (NP-40) as a soft template, while no seed, organic solvent, or special apparatus involved. The as-prepared nanocomposites show the improved CO tolerance, enhanced catalytic activity, and better stability for ethylene glycol (EG) and glycerol (Gly) electrooxidation in alkaline media, compared with commercial Pd black and Pd/C catalysts. The synthetic strategy can be extended to fabricate other electrocatalysts in direct alcohol fuel cells.