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 .