Nanoporous PdPt alloy as a highly active electrocatalyst for formic acid oxidation

Nanoporous (NP) PdPt alloy with uniform ligament size and controllable bimetallic ratio is easily fabricated through the selective dealloying of Al from PdPtAl ternary alloys. Compared with commercial Pd/C, Pt/C, NP-Pd, and NP-Pt catalysts, the as-prepared NP-PdPt exhibits greatly enhanced electrocatalytic activity for formic acid oxidation. Moreover, NP-PdPt presents superior catalytic durability upon alloying with Pt, with less loss of the formic acid oxidation activity upon long term potential scans. The NP-PdPt alloy holds great potential in applications as a promising anode catalyst in direct formic acid fuel cells.