Continuous Phase Regulation of a Pd–Te Hexagonal Nanoplate Library
Xuan Huang, Xuan Huang, Bingyan Xu, Jie Feng, Shengnan Hu, Wenjie Dou, Yang Tang, Changhong Zhan, Shangheng Liu, Yujin Ji, Youyong Li, Chih‐Wen Pao, Zhiwei Hu, Qi Shao, Xiaoqing Huang, Xiaoqing Huang
Abstract
Phase regulation of noble metal-based nanomaterials provides a promising strategy for boosting the catalytic performance. However, realizing the continuous phase modulation in two-dimensional structures and unveiling the relevant structure-performance relationship remain significant challenges. In this work, we present the first example of continuous phase modulation in a library of Pd–Te hexagonal nanoplates (HNPs) from cubic-phase Pd 4 Te, rhombohedral-phase Pd 20 Te 7, rhombohedral-phase Pd 8 Te 3, and hexagonal-phase PdTe to hexagonal-phase PdTe 2 . Notably, the continuous phase regulation of the well-defined Pd–Te HNPs enables the successful modulation of the distance between adjacent Pd active sites, triggering an exciting way for tuning the relevant catalytic reactions intrinsically. The proof-of-concept oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) experiment shows a Pd–Pd distance-dependent ORR performance, where the hexagonal-phase PdTe HNPs present the best electrochemical performance in ORR (mass activity and specific activity of 1.02 A mg –1 Pd and 1.83 mA cm –2 Pd at 0.9 V vs RHE). Theoretical investigation reveals that the increased Pd–Pd distance relates to the weak *OH adsorption over Pd–Te HNPs, thus contributing to the remarkable ORR activity of PdTe HNPs. This work advances the phase-controlled synthesis of noble metal-based nanostructures, which gives huge impetus to the design of high-efficiency nanomaterials for diverse applications.