Oxygen-rich PdSnCu nanocrystals with particle connection features as enhanced catalysts for ethanol oxidation reaction
Jianxin Xie, Hui Ying Yang, Qizhi Dong, Qian Qin, Chao Hu, Gang Yu
Abstract
Abstract Most electrocatalysts show a high mass and special activity during the ethanol oxidation reaction, but those still suffer from limited stability, finite renewable capability and poor anti-poisoning durability. Furthermore, the reliable structure and appropriate composition of catalysts are fairly associated with the electrocatalysis performance. Herein, we report the development of trimetallic Pd 61 Sn 34 Cu 5 nanocrystals (NCs) whose rough surfaces are rich in step atoms and coupled with abundant of SnO x and CuO, which may effectively boost reaction activity and rapidly remove carbonaceous intermediate, respectively. Under the tuning on the composition, the defect rich Pd 61 Sn 34 Cu 5 NCs exhibit elevated electrocatalysis activity and durability for ethanol oxidation reaction with an optimized mass activity (1.26 A <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">mg</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Pd</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> ) and specific activity (10.6 mA cm −2 ), which is about 2.21 and 2.58 times greater than that of the commercial Pd/C catalyst (0.57 A <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">mg</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Pd</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> and 4.1 mA cm −2 ).