Microbial synthesis of Pd-Pt alloy nanoparticles using Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 with enhanced catalytic activity for nitrophenol and azo dyes reduction.

Bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) often exhibit improved catalytic performance due to the electronic and spatial structure changes. Herein, a novel green biosynthesis method for Pd-Pt alloy NPs using Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 was proposed. The morphology, size and crystal structure of Pd-Pt alloy NPs were studied by a suite of characterization techniques. Results showed Pd-Pt alloy NPs were successfully synthesized inside and outside the cell. The biosynthesized Pd-Pt alloy NPs were polycrystalline and face-centered-cubic structure with the particle size ranged from 3-40 nm. Furthermore, the catalytic experiment demonstrated that the Pd-Pt alloy NPs exhibited the highest performance for the catalytic reduction of nitrophenol and azo dyes compared with the as-synthesized Pd and Pt monometallic NPs. This enlarged catalytic activity resulted from the synergistic effect of Pd and Pt element. Thereby, this paper provided a simple biosynthesis method for producing bimetallic alloy nanocatalyst with superior activity for contaminant degradation.