The role of surface functionalities in fabricating supported Pd-P nanoparticles for efficient formic acid oxidation

Emerging interstitial/substitutional modification of Pd-based nanomaterials with nonmetallic elements for electrocatalytic applications

Palladium (Pd)-based nanomaterials have been identified as potential candidates for various types of electrocatalytic reaction, but most of them typically exhibit unsatisfactory performances. Recently, extensive theoretical and experimental studies have demonstrated that the interstitial/substitutional modification of Pd-based nanomaterials with nonmetallic atoms (H, B, C, N, P, S) has a significant impact on their electronic structure and thus leads to the rapid development of one kind of promising catalyst for various electrochemical reactions. Considering the remarkable progress in this area, we highlight the most recent progress regarding the innovative synthesis and advanced characterization methods of nonmetallic atom-doped Pd-based nanomaterials and provide insights into their electrochemical applications. What's more, the unique structure- and component-dependent electrochemical performance and the underlying mechanisms are also discussed. Furthermore, a brief conclusion about the recent progress achieved in this field as well as future perspectives and challenges are provided.

Recent advances in phosphorus containing noble metal electrocatalysts for direct liquid fuel cells

Direct liquid fuel cells (DLFCs) are considered as satisfactory alternatives to traditional fossil fuels owing to their unique advantages, e.g. environmental friendliness and easy storage. Noble metal catalysts are widely used to improve the efficiency of DLFCs. However, the high cost, low utilization and poor stability of noble metals restricted their practical applications. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore cost-effective electrocatalysts and further improve their electrocatalytic performance. Reducing the content of noble metals by adding low-priced phosphorus (P) has been considered as an effective strategy, which is able to enhance their electrocatalytic activity and anti-poisoning ability through effectively changing the electronic density of active sites. In the past few years, tremendous P containing catalysts have been synthesized and utilized in DLFCs. In this review, we summarize the fundamentals of electrochemical reactions and present recent progress in P containing noble metal catalysts for DLFCs, including the discussion of their shape, composition and the relationship between P and active sites. Finally, the challenges and some potential directions in this field are pointed out.

Bifunctional Tailoring of Platinum Surfaces with Earth Abundant Iron Oxide Nanowires for Boosted Formic Acid Electro-Oxidation

To expedite the marketing of direct formic acid fuel cells, a peerless inexpensive binary FeOx/Pt nanocatalyst was proposed for formic acid electro-oxidation (FAO). The roles of both catalytic ingredients (FeOx and Pt) were inspired by testing the catalytic performance of FAO at the FeOx/Au and FeOx/GC analogies. The deposition of FeOx proceeded electrochemically with a post‐activating step that identified the catalyst’s structure and performance. With a proper adaptation for the deposition and activation processes, the FeOx/Pt nanocatalyst succeeded to mitigate the typical CO poisoning that represents the principal element deteriorating the catalytic performance of the direct formic acid fuel cells. It also provided a higher (eightfold) catalytic efficiency than the bare Pt substrates toward FAO with a much better durability. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were all employed to inspect, respectively, the surface morphology, bulk composition, and crystal structure of the catalyst. The electrochemical impedance spectra could correlate the charge transfer resistances for FAO over the inspected set of catalysts to explore the role of FeOx in mediating the reaction mechanism.