Surfactant-Mediated Synthesis of Pd₃Pb₁ Nanocatalysts toward Ethanol Electrooxidation

The efficient electrooxidation of alcohols at fuel cell anodes remains fundamentally constrained by sluggish kinetics and catalyst instability, driving the pursuit of structurally tunable Pd-based nanocatalysts. Nevertheless, exerting precise structural control over nanomaterials to achieve efficient alcohol (e.g., methanol, ethanol) electrooxidation in fuel cells remains a significant challenge. Herein, we report a facile one-pot wet-chemical synthesis of Pd₃Pb₁ nanoparticles (NPs), employing a systematic surfactant modulation strategy to probe the dual influence of alkyl chain length (C₁₂ and C₁₆) and halide ions (Br^- and Cl^-) on the morphological and dimensional control of Pd₃Pb₁ NPs. Building upon well-defined structural modifications, we further interrogate the electrocatalytic ramifications of these size-tuned nanocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) in alkaline media and establish explicit structure-activity relationships.