Pd-Ag alloy dendritic nanowires: fabrication and application in hydrogen sensor

Dendritic Pd-Ag alloy nanowires (Pd-Ag DNWs) with different bimetallic composition have been directly self-assembled on the microelectrodes from mixed solutions of palladium and silver ions by applying an alternating current (AC) field. The size and morphology of the final product were controlled via adjusting the electrodeposition parameters and the metal ion concentration ratio. The influence of three factors on the bimetallic composition in alloy nanowires was examined. Structural characterizations suggest that there was a preferential growth along (200) and (111) directions, leading to the formation of Pd-Ag nanodendritic wires with 150-200 nm in stem and branch diameter. The mechanism of forming the DNWs is discussed. The DNWs were studied as sensing materials for the detection of hydrogen, and they were found to exhibit good sensitivity and reproducibility. The Pd-Ag sensing materials with 22.2 wt% Ag content possessed were also found to display a rapid response time of less than 1 min for 4% (V/V) hydrogen concentration.