Tensile strained PdNi bimetallene for energy-efficient hydrogen production integrated with formate oxidation

Strain engineering is a prospective approach to enhance catalytic performance of electrocatalysts. Herein, we report a CO-confined growth method for the synthesis of tensile-strained PdNi bimetallene as bifunctional catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and formate oxidation reaction (FOR). Ascribed to electronic effect and strain effect derived from the introduction of Ni and ultrathin curved geometry, PdNi bimetallene possesses sufficient active sites and modulates the adsorption/dissociation of electrocatalytic intermediates, resulting in outstanding activity and stability for HER and FOR. In HER-FOR system, a low cell voltage of 0.51 V is achieved at 20 mA cm−2 by PdNi bimetallene, which is 1.21 V lower than that for the conventional water electrolysis. This work offers a versatile route for the synthesis of crimped bimetallene materials for advanced energy-efficient hydrogen production and beyond.