Design and facile one-pot synthesis of uniform PdAg cubic nanocages as efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction.

Shape-controlled synthesis of multicomponent metallic nano-alloy materials is of great significance for the design and preparation of high-efficiency electrocatalysts. In this work, a simplified one-pot synthetic strategy for the preparation of uniform three-dimensional (3D) PdAg cubic nanocages (PdAg–CNC) was developed. The morphology and structure of PdAg–CNC were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). We elucidate a series of reaction pathways for the formation of various morphologies (sphere, cubic nanocage and nanowire) of PdAg alloys by tuning the amount of glycine and controlling the Pd/Ag molar ratio. The PdAg–CNC shows enhanced electrocatalytic activity, good durability and excellent methanol tolerance in comparison with commercial Pd–C and Pt–C catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline medium. The excellent ORR performance of the PdAg–CNC can be correlated to the Pd–Ag alloy formation and unique mesoporous nanocage structure. This work demonstrates a facile strategy for shape-controlled synthesis of multicomponent metallic nano-alloys materials and their catalytic application. Image 1 • PdAg cubic nanocages are prepared by a simplified one-pot synthetic strategy. • Morphology of PdAg can be controlled by turning the amount of glycine and the Pd/Ag molar ratio. • PdAg cubic nanocages show enhanced electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction. • PdAg cubic nanocages exhibit a good electrochemical durability and a high methanol tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]