Bimetallic Au@Pt nanoparticles dispersed in conducting polymer — A catalyst of enhanced activity towards formic acid electrooxidation

Organic-inorganic hybrid system composed of bimetallic Au@Pt nanoparticles with diameter of a few nanometers uniformly dispersed in the conducting polymer matrix was synthesized by a simple electrochemical/chemical method on glassy carbon electrode. The elaborated catalyst demonstrates an enhanced specific catalytic activity (9.7 A mg−1 Pt) in electrooxidation of formic acid. The reason of this improved performance is discussed in terms of the polymer structure used as the matrix for bimetallic catalyst and mechanism of formation of Au@Pt nanoparticles. Electrocatalytic activity of the hybrid systems obtained by means of two different procedures are compared to understand better the influence of the synthesis conditions on the properties of the catalyst. The composites are characterized by means HR-TEM, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence methods. Arrangement of nanoparticles in Au@Pt composite is determined by EDX elemental mapping. A new method of preparation of the samples embedded in thin polymer film for XRD and XRF measurements is proposed.