A Green Synthesis of Nanosheet-Constructed Pd Particles in an Ionic Liquid and Their Superior Electrocatalytic Performance.

The ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIM]Ac) is investigated as a solvent for the synthesis of Pd particles. Interestingly, nanosheet-constructed Pd particles could be successfully synthesized in [EMIM]Ac without any additional reducing agent and template under ionothermal conditions. [EMIM]Ac itself works as the solvent, the reducing agent, and the template for the formation of these interesting Pd particles, making this method complementary to the well-known ionic-liquid-precursor approach. Furthermore, [EMIM]Ac can be recycled with no loss of activity for the formation of nanosheet-constructed Pd particles within our studied cycles. Specifically, the nanosheet-constructed Pd particles exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity and stability towards ethanol oxidation and formic acid oxidation compared with commercially available Pd black catalyst, thus demonstrating their promising applications in fuel-cell area. The current approach, thus, presents a green approach towards the synthesis of Pd particles, using only a simple palladium salt and an ionic liquid.