Hybrid palladium nanoparticles and nickel single atom catalysts for efficient electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation

Abstract

The electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) is a critical component of direct ethanol fuel cells, while its reactivity, stability, and selectivity toward C₁ products are severely hindered by the poisoning effect of CO species on the surface of noble-metal catalysts. In this work, we developed a hybrid material of palladium nanoparticles and nickel single-atom catalysts (Pd NPs@Ni SAC) for efficient EOR. The Pd nanoparticles catalyze the breaking of carbon–carbon bonds of ethanol, while the adsorbed CO intermediates are removed by the Ni single-atom catalyst. The Pd NPs@Ni SAC structure exhibits outstanding EOR performances, including high mass activity, good selectivities of C₁ products, and excellent electrocatalytic stability. Our work suggests an attractive perspective of utilizing single-atom electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation.