Development of bimetallic palladium–nickel nanocatalysts for cathodic reactions in alkaline fuel cell applications

This study aims to assess the viability of palladium–nickel nanocatalysts for alkaline fuel cell applications. The cathode materials were synthesized using a reverse micelle water-in-oil microemulsion method, which was optimized to produce small, well-dispersed nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution. The synthesis was tuned to produce nanoparticles with a range of palladium–nickel ratios, guiding the selection of an optimal composition to reduce the precious metal content and enhance catalytic performance. Analysis of these nanocatalysts included assessing the relationship between their composition, structure, and function using a combination of electrochemical and microscopy techniques. The electrochemical results demonstrated promising catalytic activity for the palladium–nickel nanocatalysts, achieving at least twice the current density of pure palladium particles at 0.87 V (vs. RHE). These results indicate that the introduction of nickel increased the catalytic ability of the palladium particles. These findings demonstrate that the precious metal content can be reduced and replaced with more abundant and cost-effective metals without sacrificing performance.