Facile synthesis of flower like Pd catalyst for direct ethanol solid oxide fuel cell

A flower like Pd layer was synthesized through galvanic displacement reaction on Ni-YSZ (yttria stabilized zirconia) anode at room temperature. The morphology of as prepared Pd catalyst was characterized by various techniques. It was shown that three dimensional Pd nanoflowers were formed via nanorods on the Ni-YSZ anode. With Pd nanoflowers as a functional layer of the Ni-YSZ anode, the cell exhibited much higher peak power density and better operation stability in ethanol than that made with conventional Ni-YSZ anode. This study demonstrated that galvanic displacement reaction is a promising way to prepare nanostructured metal catalyst as a result of depressing the carbon deposition in Ni-based anode and improving its output in alcohol fuels.