Facile synthesis of highly active PdAu alloy nanochains for alcohol oxidation electrocatalysis

An efficacious strategy to enhance the activity and stability of electrocatalysts for alcohol oxidation reactions is the formation of alloys of palladium with oxygenophilic metals. In this study, Palladium nano chains with an average diameter of approximately 4.4 nm were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal approach, employing creatine as the structural guide. The one-dimensional structure yielded a huge electrochemically active area (84.5 m2 g-1) and good electrical conductivity. the mass activity of Pd87Au13 NCs for alkaline ethanol oxidation reaction was 4050 mA mgPd+Au-1, which is 7.32 times higher thancommercial Pd/C, and also maintains a high residual current density after 20000 s stability test. In addition, the excellent performance of the material was demonstrated during the oxidation of ethylene glycol and glycerol. The improved catalytic performance is owed to the interconnected chain shape providing fast electron transport channels, and the Au doping not only optimizes the electronic structure of Pd but also has a bifunctional effect, which effectively removes the carbon-containing intermediates generated by Pd during alcohol oxidation, thus improving its resistance to poisoning and stability.