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Nanotechnology

Breakthrough in Nanoparticle Research: Palladium-Based Electrocatatalysts Show Promising Performance

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research conducted by a team of scientists at Nanjing University has made significant progress in the development of highly efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) using palladium (Pd) and ruthenium (Ru) alloy nanoparticles. The study focused on synthesizing PdRu x alloy nanoparticles on carbon cloth using atomic layer deposition (ALD) and annealing. The findings indicate that the PdRu x alloy nanoparticles show excellent long-term stability and improved HER performance, with an overpotential of 35.6 mV at 10 mA cm-2. The enhanced catalytic performance is attributed to the nanoscale size effect of the PdRu x alloy nanoparticles and the optimized electronic interaction between alloy components.

Key Takeaways:

  • The research team successfully synthesized PdRu x alloy nanoparticles on carbon cloth using ALD and annealing methods.
  • The PdRu x alloy nanoparticles showed excellent long-term stability and improved HER performance, with an overpotential of 35.6 mV at 10 mA cm-2.
  • The enhanced catalytic performance is attributed to the nanoscale size effect of the PdRu x alloy nanoparticles and the optimized electronic interaction between alloy components.
  • The study provides enormous potential for the development of highly efficient alloy electrocatalysts using the ALD method.
  • The research team included Ai-Dong Li, Yu Liu, Tao-Qing Zi, Shuai Zhang, Jawad Ali Shah Syed, Li Gao, Wei-Min Li, and Yue Huang from Nanjing University.
  • The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the Jiangsu Province Fund for the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements.
  • The research was peer-reviewed and published in ACS Applied Nano Materials.

Statistics:

  • Overpotential reached: 35.6 mV at 10 mA cm-2
  • Long-term stability test duration: 40 h
  • Chronopotentiometry test conducted in acidic media
  • Number of Ru cycles used: 100-500 on 200-cycle Pd
  • Temperature used for annealing: 600 degrees C
  • Atmosphere used for annealing: Argon

Sources:

  • NewsRx. New Findings from Nanjing University in Nanoparticles Provides New Insights (Atomic Layer Deposition of Pdru x Alloy Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysis In Acidic Media). Nanotechnology Weekly. May 19, 2025; p 2282.
  • Ai-Dong Li et al. Atomic Layer Deposition of Pdru x Alloy Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysis In Acidic Media. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2025.

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