Electroless deposition of nanoporous metallic Pt–Pd thin layers on insulating silica spheres as a substrate†

Abstract

We report the synthesis of nanoporous Pt–Pd thin layers on 1.2 μm silica spheres to enhance catalytic efficiency. Amino-functionalized spheres improve metal ion adhesion, enabling crack-free nanoporous layers via electroless deposition with a surfactant template. The resulting structure, with an average pore size of 12 nm, exhibits a uniform and well-defined nanoarchitecture.