Synthesis, characterization, and electrocatalytic activity of PtPb nanoparticles prepared by two synthetic approaches

Intermetallic PtPb nanoparticles have been synthesized by two solution-phase reduction methods. In the first (PtPb-B), Pt and Pb salts were reduced by sodium borohydride in methanol at room temperature. In the second (PtPb-N), metal-organic Pt and Pb precursors were reduced by sodium naphthalide in diglyme at 135 degrees C. Both methods produced small agglomerated nanoparticles of the ordered intermetallic PtPb (mean crystal domain size <15 nm) which were characterized by pXRD, SEM, UHV-STEM, BET, EDX, and electron diffraction. The electrocatalytic activity of PtPb nanoparticles produced by both methods toward formic acid and methanol oxidation was investigated and compared to Pt and PtRu. Both PtPb-B and PtPb-N nanoparticles exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity compared to commercially available Pt black and PtRu nanoparticles. For formic acid oxidation, the PtPb nanoparticles exhibited considerably lower onset potentials and higher current densities than Pt or PtRu. For methanol oxidation, the PtPb nanoparticles had onset potentials slightly positive of PtRu but exhibited higher current densities at potentials about 100 mV positive of onset. The general applicability of these methods for the synthesis of nanoparticles of ordered intermetallic phases is discussed.