Synthesis and characterization of ordered intermetallic PtPb nanorods

We have demonstrated the synthesis of ordered intermetallic PtPb nanorods by simultaneously reducing platinum acetylacetonate and lead acetylacetonate with a tert-butylamine-borane complex in a mixture of diphenyl ether, adamantanecarboxylic acid, hexadecanethiol, and hexadecylamine. The formation of rodlike morphology is attributed to the preferable incorporation of Pt and Pb adatoms onto sites with high-coordination numbers of the growing low-index surfaces based on a Kossel crystal analysis. These PtPb nanorods can be deposited onto carbon black and show high-catalytic properties toward methanol oxidation. The current mass density of this PtPb/C catalyst is above 700 mA mg^-1 Pt, which is significantly higher than that of a commercial PtRu/C catalyst.