Constructing an appealing architecture is of great significance to improving the electrocatalytic activity and stability of Pt-based nanocatalysts. In this work, we successfully synthesized porous Pd@PdPt core/shell nanocrystals via a facile one-pot method, which possess several architectural and compositional advantages, involving porous outer, ultrathin branches, an open mesoporous skeleton, a core/shell structure, and an alloyed composition. These morphological features and the synergistic effect between different components in the alloy endow the Pd@ PdPt nanostructures with abundant active sites, effective mass transfer, strain in the particle, and the electronic coupling effect. The Pd@PdPt nanoalloy therefore exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performances in alcohol oxidation reactions. Impressively, the Pd 5 Pt 4 nanocubes exhibit a higher mass/specific activity of 3.225 A mg Pt+Pd −1 /34.49 A m −2 for the ethanol oxidation reaction, which is even 4.00-/2.39-fold as high as that of commercial Pt/C. Moreover, the Pd 5 Pt 4 nanocubes also show a superior mass activity of 2.824 A mg Pt+Pd −1 /37.66 A m −2 toward the methanol oxidation reaction, which is up to 4.20/2.40 times that of the commercial Pt/C. The Pd@PdPt also has enhanced electrocatalytic stability. More importantly, the porous Pt 5 Pd 4 nanocubes still demonstrate superior electrocatalytic activities of 0.259, 1.19, 2.65, and 2.76 A mg Pt+Pd −1 for the oxidation of glucose, isopropyl alcohol, glycerol, and ethylene glycol, respectively. We therefore believe that these universal electrocatalysts have the potential to promote practical applications in fuel cells.

No abstract