Three-Dimensional PdPbBi Nanoalloy-Embedded Reduced Graphene Oxide/CPM-5 Prismatic Composite as High-Efficiency Electrocatalysts for Ethylene Glycol Oxidation

Abstract

Fuel cell development is of paramount importance given the excessive consumption of fossil fuels and severe environmental pollution problems. A 3D prismatic electrocatalyst with PdPbBi nanoalloys supported on rGO/CPM-5 (crystalline porous materials) (PdPbBi@rGO/CPM-5) is synthesized by a facile hydrothermal and reduction method. Electrochemical tests show that the trimetallic catalyst exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and high resistance to CO poisoning compared to commercial Pd/ C. Specifically, PdPbBi@rGO/CPM-5 has the highest forward current density of 222.43 mA cm −2 , which is 8.22 times that of Pd/C (27.07 mA cm −2 ), and the retained current density of PdPbBi@rGO/CPM-5 still reaches 71.21% of the initial value after a 3600 s chronoamperometry test. This excellent electrocatalytic activity is due to the electronic effect of the PdPbBi alloy, resulting in the enhanced d-band of Pd and the strong adsorption of OH − by Pb/PbO and Bi/ Bi(OH) 3 nanoparticles (NPs). This intermetallic electronic effect can promote the oxidative removal of [CO] ads . In addition, the unique graphene-wrapped prismatic structure of rGO/CPM-5 makes the PdPbBi alloy NPs evenly distributed and obtains more active centers to accelerate electro-oxidation. The design and high-efficiency electrocatalytic performance of this composite material provide important ideas for the development and utilization of direct fuel cells for ethylene glycol oxidation reaction.

Pd11Ni11Pt2 nanoparticles with three-phase surface enrichment for facilitating electrooxidation of ethanol and ethylene glycol

“…24 Trimetallic catalysts remain attractive for improving the electrocatalytic EOR and EGOR performance compared to bimetallic counterparts, such as PdBiMn, Pd x Ru y Ni z , PdPbBi, PdAuAg nanocages, and pinecone-like PdAuAg. [25][26][27][28][29] Therefore, fabrication of trimetallic nanomaterials with special structures will help to investigate the structure-activity relationship. Various strategies have been proposed to design trimetallic electrocatalysts, such as shape-controlled synthesis, defect engineering, surface modification, and so on.…”