Electrooxidation of Pd–Cu NP loaded porous carbon derived from a Cu-MOF

Abstract

The development of new non-platinum catalysts for alcohol electrooxidation is of utmost importance. In this work, a bimetallic Pd–Cu loaded porous carbon material was first synthesized from a Cu-based metal–organic framework (MOF). The Cu loaded porous carbon was pre-synthesized through calcinating the Cu-based MOF under a N₂ atmosphere. After loading Pd onto the precursor and heating, Pd–Cu loaded porous carbon (Pd–Cu/C) was obtained for alcohol electrooxidation. Electrooxidation experiments revealed that this Pd–Cu bimetal loaded porous carbon assisted steady state electrolysis for alcohol oxidation in alkaline media. Moreover, different alcohols were electrooxidated using the present electrocatalyst for the purposes of discussing the oxidation mechanism. This electrooxidation study of Pd–Cu/C derived from a MOF demonstrates a good understanding of the electrooxidation of different alcohols, and provides useful guidance for developing new electrocatalyst materials for energy conversion and electronic devices.