Palladium nanocubes enclosed by (100) planes as electrocatalyst for alkaline oxygen electroreduction

Abstract: Palladium nanocubes (27, 48, and 63 nm) composed of (100) planes were successfully synthesized for use in oxygen electroreduction in 1-M NaOH electrolyte. The results (at −0.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl) of a rotating ring-disk electrode measurement showed that the specific activities of the 27-, 48-, and 63-nm Pd nanocubes were 3.05 × 10−2, 3.41 × 10−2, and 2.44 × 10−2 mA cm−2, respectively. 48 nm Pd nanocubes exhibited the higher activity than larger nanocubes and 9 nm Pd nanoparticles, where the specific activity of nanoparticles was 2.16 × 10−2 mA cm−2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]