Simple electrodeposition of dendritic pd without supporting electrolyte and its electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reduction and H₂O₂ sensing

Metallic palladium (Pd) electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) oxidation/reduction are prepared via electroplating on a gold metal substrate from dilute (5 to 50mM) aqueous K₂PdCl₄ solution. The best Pd catalyst layer possessing dendritic nanostructures is formed on the Au substrate surface from 50mM Pd precursor solution (denoted as Pd-50) without any additional salt, acid or Pd templating chemical species. The Pd-50consisted of nanostructured dendrites of polycrystalline Pd metal and micropores within the dendrites which provide high catalyst surface area and further facilitate reactant mass transport to the catalyst surface. The electrocatalytic activity of Pd-50 proved to be better than that of a commercial Pt (Pt/C) in terms of lower overpotential for the onset and half-wave potentials and a greater number of electrons (n) transferred. Furthermore, amperometric i-t curves of Pd-50 for H₂O₂ electrochemical reaction show high sensitivities (822.2 and -851.9μAmM^-1cm^-2) and low detection limits (1.1 and 7.91μM) based on H₂O₂ oxidation H₂O₂ reduction, respectively, along with a fast response (<1s).