Graphene-nickel nitride hybrids supporting palladium nanoparticles for enhanced ethanol electrooxidation

Electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reaction(EOR)are generally limited by their poor durability because of the catalyst poisoning induced by the reaction intermediate carbon monoxide(CO).Therefore,the rapid oxidation removal of CO intermediates is crucial to the durability of EOR-based catalysts.Herein,in order to effectively avoiding the catalyst CO poisoning and improve the durability,the graphene-nickel nitride hybrids(AG-Ni_(3)N)were designed for supporting palladium nanoparticles(Pd/AG-Ni_(3)N)and then used for ethanol electrooxidation.The density functional theory(DFT)calculations demonstrated the introduction of AG-Ni_(3)N depresses the CO absorption and simultaneously promotes the adsorption of OH species for CO oxidation removal.The fabricated Pd/AG-Ni_(3)N catalyst distinctively exhibits excellent electroactivity with the mass catalytic activity of 3499.5 m A mg^(-1) on EOR in alkaline media,which is around 5.24 times higher than Pd/C(commercial catalyst).Notably,the Pd/AG-Ni_(3)N hybrids display excellent stability and durability after chronoamperometric measurements with a total operation time of 150,000 s.

Ultrasmall AuPd nanoclusters on amine-functionalized carbon blacks as high-performance bi-functional catalysts for ethanol electrooxidation and formic acid dehydrogenation

The synthesis of ultrasmall metal nanoclusters(NCs) with high catalytic activities is of great importance for the development of clean and renewable energy technologies but remains a challenge. Here we report a facile wet-chemical method to prepare ~1.0 nm Au Pd NCs supported on amine-functionalized carbon blacks. The Au Pd NCs exhibit a specific activity of 5.98 mA cm_(AuPd)^(-2)and mass activity of 5.25 A mg_(auPd)^(-1) for ethanol electrooxidation, which are far better than those of commercial Pd/C catalysts(1.74 mAcm_(AuPd)^(-2) and 0.54 A mg_(Pd)^(-1) ). For formic acid dehydrogenation, the Au Pd NCs have an initial turn over frequency of 49339 h^(-1) at 298 K without any additive, which is much higher than those obtained for most of reported Au Pd catalysts. The reported synthesis may represent a facile and low-cost approach to prepare other ultrasmall metal NCs with high catalytic activities for various applications.

PtRu nanoparticles supported on noble carbons for ethanol electrooxidation

In this work,three cytosine derived nitrogen doped carbonaceous materials(noble carbons,NCs)with different atomic C/N ratios and porous networks have been synthesized and used as supports for Pt Ru electrocatalysts in the ethanol oxidation reaction(EOR)for clean hydrogen production.Both,the metal phase and the carbon support play critical roles in the electrocatalysts final performance.Lower NPs size distribution was obtained over supports with low atomic C/N ratios(i.e.,4 and 6)and defined porosity(i.e.,1701 m^(2)g^(-1)for Pt Ru/CNZ and 1834 m^(2)g^(-1)for Pt Ru/CLZ,respectively).In contrast,a lower C/N ratio and poor porous network(i.e.,65 m^(2)g^(-1),Pt Ru/CLK)led to the largest particle size and fostered an increase of the alloying degree between Pt and Ru NPs(i.e.,3%for C/N~6 and 28%for C/N~3).Electrochemical active surface area was found to increase with decreasing NPs size and the alloy extent,due to a higher availability of Pt active sites.Accelerated degradation tests showed that Pt Ru/NCs outperform similar to Pt Ru NPs on commercial carbon pointing at the stabilizing effect of NCs.Pt Ru/CNZ exhibited the best electrochemical performance(i.e.,69.1 m A mgPt-1),outperforming Pt Ru/CLZ and Pt Ru/CLK by3-and 9-fold,respectively,due to a suitable compromise between particle sizes,degree of alloy,textural properties and elemental composition.Best anodes were scaled-up to a proton exchange membrane cell and Pt Ru/CNZ was proved to provide the best electrocatalytic activity(262 m A cm^(-2)and low energy requirements),matching the values obtained by the state of the art of EOR electrocatalysts.

MOF-derived Cu embedded into N-doped mesoporous carbon as a robust support of PdAu nanocatalysts for ethanol electrooxidation

Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)h ave attracted widespread attention due to their large surface area and porous structure.Rationally designing the nanostructures of MOFs to promote their application in ethanol electrooxidation is still a challenge.Here,a novel Cu-NCNs(Cu-nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes)support was synthesized by pyrolysis of melamine(MEL)and Cu-ZIF-8 together,and then,Pd-Au nanoalloys were loaded by sodium borohydride reduction method to prepare PdAu@Cu-NCNs catalysts.The generating mesoporous carbon with high specific surface area and favorable electron and mass transport can be used as a potential excellent carrier for PdAu nanoparticles.In addition,the balance of catalyst composition and surface structure was tuned by controlling the content of Pd and Au.Thus,the best-performed Pd_(2)Au_(2)@Cu-NCN-1000-2(where 1000 means the carrier calcination temperature,and 2 means the calcination constant temperature time)catalyst exhibits better long-term stability and electrochemical activity for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media(4.80 A·mg^(-1)),which is 5.05 times higher than that of commercial Pd/C(0.95 A·mg^(-1)).Therefore,this work is beneficial to further promoting the application of MOFs in direct ethanol fuel cells(DEFCs)and can be used as inspiration for the design of more efficient catalyst support structures.

PdPb bimetallic nanowires as electrocatalysts for enhanced ethanol electrooxidation

Less-expensive but efficient electrocatalysts are essential to accelerate the commercialization of fuel cells.Herein,ultrathin PdPb nanowires(PdPb NWs)with a diameter of around 3.5 nm were prepared by using a one-step hydrothermal method.The introduction of Pb in Pd-based bimetallic nanostructures produced high differences in the morphology from Pd nanoparticles(NPs)to various PdPb NWs.All the as-prepared PdPb NWs exhibited better electrocatalytic activity and durability than Pd NPs due to the synergistic effect.Especially,Pd65Pb35 possessed the highest current density of about 3460 mA mgPd^−1 for the ethanol electrooxidation which was around 6.3 times higher than commercial Pd/C.The high-performance of Pd65Pb35 is attributed to the defect-rich and stable nanowire structure with optimized surface atomic arrangement,as evidenced by high resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements and long-time treatment in an acidic media.The differences in the morphologies and electrocatalytic activities of PdPb NWs with varied Pb contents have also been discussed and analyzed.

PtNiCu nanowires with advantageous lattice-plane boundary for enhanced ethanol electrooxidation

It is generally accepted that the interface effect and surface electronic structure of catalysts have vital impact on catalytic properties.Understanding and tailoring the atomic arrangement of interface structure are of great importance for electrocatalysis.Herein,we proposed a simple method to synthesize etching-PtNiCu nanowires(e-PtNiCu NWs)enclosed by both(110)and(100)facets evolving from PtNiCu nanowires(PtNiCu NWs)mainly with(111)facets by selectively etching process.After acetic acid etching treatment,the e-PtNiCu NWs possess high total proportions(88.3%)of(110)and(100)facets,whereas the(111)facet is dominant in PtNiCu NWs(64%)by qualitatively and quantitatively evaluation.Combining the structure characterizations and performance tests of ethanol electrooxidation reaction(EOR),we find that the e-PtNiCu NWs display remarkably performance for EOR,which is nearly 4.5 times and 1.5 times enhancement compared with the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst,as well as 2.2 and 1.4 times of PtNiCu NWs,in specific activity and mass activity,respectively.The improved performance of e-PtNiCu NWs is attributed to synergistic catalytic effect between(110)and(100)facets that not only significantly decreases the onset potentials of adsorbed CO(CO_(ads))but also favors the oxidation of CO_(ads)on the surface of catalyst.Furthermore,thermodynamics and kinetic studies indicate that the synergistic effect of both(110)and(100)facets in e-PtNiCu NWs can decrease the activation energy barrier and facilitate the charge transfer during the reaction.This work provides a promising approach to construct catalysts with tunable surface electronic structure towards efficient electrocatalysis.

One step NaBH_4 reduction of Pt-Ru-Ni catalysts on different types of carbon supports for direct ethanol fuel cells : Synthe sis and characte rization

The ternary catalyst Pt75Ru5Ni20 was conducted on various types of carbon supports including functionalized Vulcan XC-72R(f-CB),functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes(f-MWCNT),and mesoporous carbon(PC-Zn-succinic)by sodium borohydride chemical reduction method to improve the ethanol electrooxidation reaction(EOR)for direct ethanol fuel cell(DEFC).It was found that the particle size of the metals on f-MWCNT was 5.20 nm with good particle dispersion.The alloy formation of ternary catalyst was confirmed by XRD and more clearly described by SEM element mapping,which was relevant to the efficiency of the catalysts.Moreover,the mechanism of ethanol electrooxidation reaction based on the surface reaction was more understanding.The activity and stability for ethanol electrooxidation reaction(EOR)were investigated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry,respectively.The highest activity and stability for EOR were observed from Pt75Ru5Ni20/f-MWCNT due to a good metal-carbon interaction.Ru and Ni presented in Pt-Ru-Ni alloy improved the activity and stability of ternary catalysts for EOR.Moreover,the reduction of Pt content in ternary catalyst led to the catalyst cost deduction in DEFC.

Preparation and characterization of Pt-WO_3/C catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells

Three co-impregnation/chemical reduction methods in acidic solutions of pH 〈 1,including ethylene glycol （EG）,NaBH4,and HCOOH,were compared for Pt-WO3/C catalysts.Pt-WO3/C catalysts containing 10 wt.% and 20 wt.% platinum per carbon were prepared by the three methods; their morphology and electrocatalytic activities were characterized.The 20 wt.% Pt-WO3/C catalyst prepared by the co-impregnation/EG method presented the optimal dispersion with an average particle size of 4.6 nm and subsequently the best electrocatalytic activity,and so,it was further characterized.Its anodic peak current density for ethanol oxidation from linear sweep voltammetry （LSV） is 7.9 mA·cm^-2,which is 1.4 and 5.2 times as high as those of the catalysts prepared by co-impregnation/NaBH4 and co-impregnation/ HCOOH reduction methods,2.1 times as high as that of the 10 wt.% Pt-WO3/C catalyst prepared by co-impregnation/EG method,respectively.

Hierarchical AgAu alloy nanostructures for highly efficient electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation

The ethanol oxidation reaction is a significant anodic reaction for direct alcohol fuel cells.The most commonly used catalysts for this reaction are Pt‐based materials;however,Pt‐based electrocatalysts cause carbon monoxide poisoning with intermediates before the complete transformation of alcohol to CO_(2).Herein,we present hierarchical AgAu bimetallic nanoarchitectures for ethanol electrooxidation,which were fabricated via a partial galvanic reduction reaction between Ag and HAuCl_(4).The ethanol electrooxidation performance of the optimal AgAu nanohybrid was increased to 1834 mA mg^(‒1),which is almost 10 times higher than that of the pristine Au catalyst(190 mA mg^(‒1))in alkaline solutions.This was achieved by introducing Ag into the Au catalyst and controlling the time of the replacement reaction.The heterostructure also presents a higher current density than that of commercial Pt/C(1574 mA mg^(‒1)).Density functional theory calculations revealed that the enhanced activity and stability may stem from unavoidable defects on the surface of the integrated AgAu nanoarchitectures.Ethanol oxidation reactions over these defects are more energetically favorable,which facilitates the oxidative removal of carbonaceous poison and boosts the combination with radicals on adjacent Au active sites.

Electrochemical converting ethanol to hydrogen and acetic acid for large scale green hydrogen production

Electrochemical coupling hydrogen evolution with biomass reforming reaction(named electrochemical hydrogen and chemical cogeneration(EHCC)),which realizes green hydrogen production and chemical upgrading simultaneously,is a promising method to build a carbon-neutral society.Herein,we analyze the EHCC process by considering the market assessment.The ethanol to acetic acid and hydrogen approach is the most feasible for large-scale hydrogen production.We develop AuCu nanocatalysts,which can selectively oxidize ethanol to acetic acid(>97%)with high long-term activity.The isotopic and in-situ infrared experiments reveal that the promoted water dissociation step by alloying contributes to the enhanced activity of the partial oxidation reaction path.A flow-cell electrolyzer equipped with the AuCu anodic catalyst achieves the steady production of hydrogen and acetic acid simultaneously in both high selectivity(>90%),demonstrating the potential scalable application for green hydrogen production with low energy consumption and high profitability.

Blocking the defect sites on ultrathin Pt nanowires with Rh atoms to optimize the reaction path toward alcohol fuel oxidation

Anodic electrocatalyst plays the co re role in direct alcohol fuel cells(DAFCs),while traditional Pt-catalysts suffer from limited catalytic activity,high over potential and severe CO poisoning.Herein,by selectively depositing Rh atoms on the defective-sites of Pt nanowires(NWs),we developed a new Pt@Rh NW electrocatalyst that exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic performance for both methanol oxidation(MOR)and ethanol oxidation(EOR).Both cyclic voltammetry(CV) and in-situ infrared spectroscopy revealed that the presence of Rh atoms suppressed the generation of poisonous intermediates and completely oxidized alcohols molecule into CO2.Atomic resolusion spherical aberration corrected high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy(CS-HAADF-STEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS) mapping analysis revealed that Rh atoms were primarily deposited on the defective sites of Pt NWs.Meanwhile,the presence of Rh atoms also modified the electronic state of Pt atoms and therefore lowered the onset potential for alcohols oxidation potential.This work gives the first clear clue on the role of the defective sites of Pt nanocatalyst poisoning,and propose that selectively blocking these sites with trace amount of Rh is an effective strategy in designing advantageous electrocatalysts.