Palladium-Platinum nanoparticles : well-structured bimetallic catalysts for fuel cells

The high price of platinum currently employed as catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells represents an obstacle for a widespread usage of these cells. The development of bimetallic particles, reducing the quantity of platinum is a promising solution to increase the viability of the cells and to reduce their price. In this doctoral thesis, palladium was used as a second metal to synthesize bimetallic particles with easy methods. The role of bromide on the properties and performances of the palladium-platinum clusters with a nanoflowers structure was investigated (Chapter 2) and the effect of the time of synthesis on particles prepared by galvanic replacement was analyzed (Chapters 3 and 4). In the end, the formation/dissolution of oxide at the surface of core-shell palladium-platinum nanoparticles was examined (Chapter 4). ...