Palladium nanocrystals supported on photo-transformed C60 nanorods: Effect of crystal morphology and electron mobility on the electrocatalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation

We report on the synthesis and decoration of high-aspect-ratio crystalline C60 nanorods (NRs) by functionalized palladium nanoparticles with an average size of 4.78 ± 0.66 nm. In their pristine form, C60 NRs suffer from partial damage in the solution-based decoration process resulting in poor crystallinity. However, by modifying the NR surface via in situ photochemical transformation in the liquid state, we are able to prepare highly stable NRs that retain their crystalline structure during the decoration process. Our method thus opens up for the synthesis of highly crystalline nanocomposite hybrids comprising Pd nanoparticles and C60 NRs. Bys measuring the electron mobility of different C60 NRs, we relate both the effect of electron mobility and crystallinity to the final electrocatalytic performance of the synthesized hybrid structures. We show that the photo-transformed C60 NRs exhibit highly advantageous properties for ethanol oxidation based on both a better crystallinity and a higher bulk conductivity. These findings give important information in the search for efficient catalyst support.