Pd–Au Heteropentamers: Selective Growth of Au on Pd Tetrahedral Nanoparticles with Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity

We developed a seed-mediated approach for the selective growth of Au-on-Pd tetrahedral nanoparticles giving rise to Pd–Au heteropentamers. The size of the Au domains in the heterostructures could be finely tuned from 5 to 8 nm. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy characterization demonstrated that the heteromers are single crystalline indicating an epitaxial growth of Au on Pd. The modification of screen-printed carbon electrodes with Pd–Au heteromers shows an improved electrocatalytic activity.