Reduced graphene oxide supported Pd-Cu-Co trimetallic catalyst:synthesis,characterization and methanol electrooxidation properties

Trimetallic palladium-copper-cobalt nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide(PdCuCo/RGO)with different molar ratios of Pd,Cu and Co can be synthesized by facile chemical reduction with NaBH_4 as reductant and cetrimonium bromide as stabilizer.The morphology,structure and composition of the as-synthesized catalysts are characterized by transmission electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction and Xray photoelectron spectroscopy.The cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry are utilized to investigate the electrochemical activities and stabilities of the as-obtained catalysts.The results demonstrate that the PdCuCo/RGO catalyst shows superior catalytic activity and stability for methanol electrooxidation in alkaline media compared with PdCu/RGO,PdCo/RGO,and Pd/RGO catalysts.These findings suggest that the PdCuCo/RGO catalyst possesses a great potential as a promising anode catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells.