Interface Design in Bimetallic PdNi Nanowires for Boosting Alcohol Oxidation Performances

TL;DR

This paper shows how designing bimetallic PdNi nanowires with specific interfaces can significantly improve alcohol oxidation reactions.

Contribution

A seeded growth strategy is introduced to create PdNi nanowires with controlled interfaces for enhanced catalytic performance.

Findings

Pd-NiPd nanowires show high mass current density and stability for ethanol and ethylene glycol oxidation.

The Pd (100)-PdNi (111) interface is identified as a key active site for improved catalytic activity.

The study demonstrates the importance of interface engineering in metallic nanomaterials for electrocatalysis.

Abstract

The rational design of a bimetallic nanostructure with a phase separation and interface is of great importance to enhance electrocatalytic performance. Herein, PdNi heterostructures with controlled elemental distributions were constructed via a seeded growth strategy. Partially coated Ni islands in the Pd-Ni nanowire and strained Pd branches in the Pd-NiPd nanowires are revealed, respectively. Impressively, Pd-NiPd nanowires with abundant branches exhibit a superior mass current density and cycling stability toward an ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR). The highest mass activities of 8.63 A mgPd−1 and 12.53 A mgPd−1 for EOR and EGOR, respectively, are realized on the Pd-NiPd nanowires. Theoretical calculations indicate that the Pd (100)-PdNi (111) interface stands out as an active site for enhancing OH adsorption and the decreasing CO bonding interaction. This study not only puts forward a simple method to construct bimetallic nanostructures with desired elemental distributions and interfaces but also demonstrates the significance of interface engineering in regulating the catalytic activity of metallic nanomaterials.

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