Electrodeposited fabrication of highly ordered Pd nanowire arrays for alcohol electrooxidation

Highly ordered Pd nanowire arrays (NWAs) are prepared using a porous aluminum oxide template by pulse electrodeposition. The obtained Pd nanowire arrays with the diameter of 50 nm and length of 850 nm have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and high resolution transmission electron microscope. Meanwhile, the electrocatalytic activity of Pd NWAs electrodes for methanol and isopropanol oxidation in alkaline media is studied. It is found that the obtained nanostructures exhibit excellent catalytic activity for alcohol electrooxidation. The isopropanol oxidation shows the higher activity on Pd NWAs electrode than methanol in alkaline medium. Keywords: Palladium, Methanol, Isopropanol, Fuel cells, Sensor