One-pot synthesis of porous Pd-polypyrrole/nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposite as highly efficient catalyst for electrooxidation of alcohols

Combining Bismuth Telluride and Palladium for High Efficiency Glycerol Electrooxidation

Designing high-performance anodic catalysts to drive glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) is essential for advancing direct alcohol fuel cells. Coupling Pd with oxophilic materials is an effective strategy to enhance its intrinsic catalytic activity. In this study, we successfully synthesized Pd/Bi2Te3 catalysts with tunable compositions, using Bi2Te3 as a novel promoter, and applied them to the GOR for the first time. Electrocatalytic tests revealed that the activity of the Pd/Bi2Te3 catalysts was closely linked to their compositions. Among these catalysts, the optimized Pd/Bi2Te3-20 % showed potential to replace the commercial Pd/C catalyst, exhibiting a peak current density 5.2 times higher than that of the benchmark Pd/C catalyst. Furthermore, improved catalytic stability and faster catalytic kinetics were observed for Pd/Bi2Te3-20 %. The synergistic effect between Pd and Bi2Te3 is responsible for the high performance of the Pd/Bi2Te3-20 % catalyst.

High-efficient electrooxidation of ethylene glycol and ethanol on PdSn alloy loaded by versatile poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)

Developing a novel catalyst with lower noble-metal loading and higher catalytic efficiency is significant for promoting the widespread application of direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs). In this work, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) supported the PdSn alloy (PdSn/PEDOT) were simply synthesized and their electrocatalytic performance toward the oxidation of ethylene glycol and ethanol (EGOR and EOR) were investigated in alkaline media, respectively. In comparison with other control catalysts, the optimized Pd4Sn6/PEDOT catalyst exhibits the highest mass activity (7125/4166 mA mgPd-1) and specific activity (26/15 mA cm-2) towards EGOR/EOR. The mass activity of Pd4Sn6/PEDOT for EGOR and EOR are 11.9 and 10.9 times higher than commercial Pd/C, respectively. Moreover, chronoamperometry (CA) and successive cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests show that the CO resistance ability and durability of the Pd4Sn6/PEDOT catalyst were superior to Pd4Sn6, Pd/PEDOT and commercial Pd/C catalysts, which can be attributed to the d-band center of Pd can be effectively downshifted and the interface strain effect between electrons caused by the conjugated structure between PEDOT groups. This work provides an effective strategy for the development of highly efficient anode catalysts of DAFCs.

Rational Design and Facile Preparation of Palladium-Based Electrocatalysts for Small Molecules Oxidation

Direct liquid fuel cells (DLFCs) can convert the chemical energy of small organic molecules directly into electrical energy, which is a promising technique and always calls for electrocatalysts with high activity, stability and selectivity. Palladium (Pd)-based catalysts for DLFCs have been widely studied with the pursuit of ultra-high performance, however, most of the preparation routes require complex agents, multi-operation steps, even extreme experimental conditions, which are high-cost, energy-consuming, and not conducive to the scalable and sustainable production of catalysts. In this review, the recent progresses on not only the rational design strategies, but also the facile preparation methods of Pd-based electrocatalysts for small molecules oxidation reaction (SMOR) are comprehensively summarized. Based on the principles of green chemistry in material synthesis, the basic rules of "facile method" have been restricted, and the fabrication processes, perks and drawbacks, as well as practical applications of the "real" facile methods have been highlighted. The landscape of this review is to facilitate the mild preparation of efficient Pd-based electrocatalysts for SMOR, that is, to achieve a balance between "facile preparation" and "outstanding performance", thereby to stimulate the huge potential of sustainable nano-electrocatalysts in various research and industrial fields.

Engineering the highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst based on PdCu nanoalloy and nitrogen-doped Ti3C2Tx MXene for ethanol electrooxidation

Improving the electrocatalytic performance by modulating the surface and interface electronic structure of noble metals is still a research hotspot in electrocatalysis. Herein, we prepared the heterogeneous catalyst based on the well-dispersed PdCu nanoalloy and the N-doped Ti₃C₂T_x MXene support (PdCu/N-Ti₃C₂T_x) via in situ growth of PdCu nanoparticles on the fantastic N-Ti₃C₂T_x sheets. By exploring the electrocatalytic properties of ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR), the composition optimized Pd₁Cu₁/N-Ti₃C₂T_x delivers higher mass activity/specific activity/intrinsic activity (2200.7 mA mg_Pd^-1/13.1 mA cm^-2/2.2 s^-1), anti-poisoning ability and stability than those of Pd/N-Ti₃C₂T_x, Pd₁Cu₁/Ti₃C₂T_x and commercial Pd/C, which can be attributed to the modified surface electronic features of Pd by the participation of Cu atoms and N-Ti₃C₂T_x MXene, as well as the "metal-carrier" effect between the PdCu nanoalloy and N-Ti₃C₂T_x heterogeneous interface. Furthermore, the conductivity of N-Ti₃C₂T_x MXene can be improved by N-doping, and the abundant terminal groups (-O, -OH, -F and N) on the N-Ti₃C₂T_x surface can promote the electron exchange between PdCu and N-Ti₃C₂T_x. This work provides an effective strategy for engineering heterogeneous electrocatalysts for enhanced electrocatalytic EOR by adjusting the interfacial electronic structure of noble metals.

Investigation of the electrocatalytic reaction for the oxidation of alcohols through the formation of a metal organic framework (Mn-MIL-100)/polymer matrix on the surface of an Au electrode

An electrode composite containing a metal organic framework (Mn-MIL-100) was prepared by linkers including gold nanoparticles/polypyrrole and cysteine.