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Facile synthesis of PdCu nanocluster-assembled granular films as highly efficient electrocatalysts for formic acid oxidation

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Abstract

Developing efficient and stable bimetallic Pd-based anode electrocatalysts toward formic acid oxidation (FAO) is of great significance for commercial applications of direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs). Herein, we report a facile synthesis approach to fabricate PdCu nanoclusters (NCs) catalysts with granular-film structure. The introduction of Cu can adjust the electronic structure and d-band center of Pd, which can improve the catalytic performance of the catalysts. Compared with Pd NCs catalyst, the catalytic durability and activity of PdCu NCs catalysts for FAO are greatly improved. The order for catalytic activity of NC metals is Pd85Cu15 NCs > Pd70Cu30 NCs > Pd NCs. The maximum mass activity can be acquired with the Pd85Cu15 NCs catalyst, which is about 1.7 times that of the Pd NCs catalyst. And Pd85Cu15 NCs catalyst still maintains the highest catalytic current density after 50 cycles, indicating that Pd85Cu15 NCs catalyst has the best durability and electrocatalytic activity for FAO. Our work provides a new prospect for the design of highly efficient anode catalysts materials for DFAFCs.

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摘要

开发高效, 稳定的双金属Pd基阳极催化剂用于甲酸氧化(FAO)对于直接甲酸燃料电池(DFAFCs)的商业应用具有重要意义。我们通过一种简便的合成方法制备了具有颗粒膜结构的PdCu纳米团簇(NCs)催化剂。Cu的引入可以调整Pd的电子结构和d能带中心, 从而提高催化剂的催化性能。与Pd NCs催化剂相比, PdCu NCs催化剂对FAO的催化耐久性和活性均有所提高, 催化活性大小依次为: Pd85Cu15 NCs > Pd70Cu30 NCs > Pd NCs。Pd85Cu15 NCs催化剂具有最大的质量活性, 约为Pd NCs催化剂的1.7倍。此外, Pd85Cu15 NCs催化剂在50次循环后仍保持最高的电流密度, 说明Pd85Cu15 NCs催化剂用于甲酸氧化具有最佳的催化耐久性和活性。我们的工作为DFAFCs阳极催化剂的设计提供了新的思路。

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51901197, 51971184 and 51771157), the Open Fund of Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-Industrial Green Technology in Wuyi University (No. WYKF-EIGT2021-6).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Qing-Wei Ding, Qing Luo, Liang Lin, Lai-Sen Wang, Guang-Hui Yue, Jie Lin, Qing-Shui Xie & Dong-Liang Peng

  2. Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-Inductrial Green Technology, Wuyi University, Wuyishan, 354300, China

    Xing-Ping Fu

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  1. Qing-Wei Ding
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  2. Qing Luo
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Correspondence to Qing Luo or Guang-Hui Yue.

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Ding, QW., Luo, Q., Lin, L. et al. Facile synthesis of PdCu nanocluster-assembled granular films as highly efficient electrocatalysts for formic acid oxidation. Rare Met. 41, 2595–2605 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-01997-0

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