Electrochemical Synthesis and Characterization of Palladium Nanostructures

Palladium (Pd) is a good candidate material for hydrogen gas sensing at room temperature due to its high affinity to hydrogen. Pd in the form of nanostructures has demonstrated better performance in its gas sensing property as compared to that in the form of bulk metal because of its large surface area to volume ratio. In this work, various Pd nanostructures were synthesized via electrochemical route. Pd in the form of nanowires can be produced directly via template-assisted electrodeposition while Pd nanotubes were synthesized by galvanic displacement with morphology and composition governed by electrolyte temperature and reaction time. Using similar electrodeposition conditions, Pd in the form of nanoparticles were electrochemically decorated on the surfaces of ZnO rods and Si nanowires arrays. Growth study on various Pd nanostructures produced is presented here, using microscopy, diffraction and probe-based techniques for microstructural, morphological and chemical characterizations.