Graphene-induced Pd nanodendrites： A high performance hybrid nanoelectrocatalyst

A facile and green approach has been developed for the in situ synthesis of hybrid nanomaterials based on dendrite-shaped Pd nanostructures supported on graphene （RG）. The as-synthesized hybrid nanomaterials （RG-PdnDs） have been thoroughly characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscop）~ atomic force microscop）~ Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques. The mechanism of formation of such dendrite- shaped Pd nanostructures on the graphene support has been elucidated using transmission electron microscopy （TEM） measurements. The RG induces the formation of, and plays a decisive role in shaping, the dendrite morphology of Pd nanostructures on its surface. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques have been employed to evaluate the electrochemical performance of RG-PdnDs towards oxidation of methanol. The electrochemical （EC） activities of RG-PdnDs are compared with graphene-supported spherical-shaped Pd nanostructures, Pd nanodendrites alone and a commercial available Pd/C counterpart. The combined effect of the graphene support and the dendrite morphology of RG-PdnDs triggers the high electrocatalytic activity and results in robust tolerance to CO poisoning.