Cu2+-regulated one-pot wet-chemical synthesis of uniform PdCu nanostars for electrocatalytic oxidation of ethylene glycol and glycerol

• Published in: Journal of colloid and interface science 2023-11, Vol.649, p.118-124
• Main Authors: Jiang, Lu-Yao, Tian, Fang-Min, Chen, Xiao-Yan, Ren, Xin-Xin, Feng, Jiu-Ju, Yao, Youqiang, Zhang, Lu, Wang, Ai-Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Direct alcohol fuel cells; Ethylene glycol oxidation; Glycerol oxidation; Palladium-copper nanostars
• ISSN: 0021-9797; 1095-7103
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.06.044

[Display omitted] •The 3D PdCu nanostars were prepared by a one-pot wet-chemical approach.•The Cu2+ concentrations were critical to obtain 3D nanostars architectures.•The PdCu nanostars showed excellent catalytic performances for EGOR and GOR.•The excellent catalysis preference is ascribed to the unique structures and the synergistic effect of the bimetals. The fabrication of effective and stable electrocatalysts is crucial for practical applications of direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs). In this study, bimetallic PdCu nanostars (PdCu NSs) were fabricated by a Cu2+-modulated one-pot wet-chemical method, where cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) worked as a structure-regulating reagent. The morphology, compositions, crystal structures and formation mechanism of the as-prepared PdCu NSs were investigated by a series of techniques. The unique architectures created abundant active sites, which resulted in a large electrochemical active surface area (9.5 m2 g−1). The PdCu NSs showed negative shifts in the onset potentials and large forward peak current densities by contrast with those of commercial Pd black for the catalytic ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) and glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR). It revealed that the PdCu NSs outperformed Pd black in the similar surroundings. This work provides a constructive strategy for fabrication of high-efficiency electrocatalysts for alcohol fuel cells.