P-doped SnFe nanocubes decorated with PdFe alloy nanoparticles for ethanol fuel cells

Abstract

Conventional Pt-based anode catalysts in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are subject to high cost, fuel inflexibility, low power and current density, and inferior stability, which hinders their application in both mobile and stationary power sources. Considering these factors, a new and novel catalyst was developed and applied to advanced fuel-flexible cells. First, P-doped SnFe nanocubes were prepared on reduced graphene oxide, then the PdFe alloy was decorated on the surface of the former and termed PdFe/SnFeP@rGO. This catalyst had a very low Pd content and achieved a remarkable mass activity enhancement of 7135.79 mA mg_Pd⁻¹, ∼17 times higher than that of commercial Pd/C. Moreover, PdFe/SnFeP@rGO exhibited enhanced durability with no significant degradation after 1000 cycles, demonstrating its potential for application in fuel cells. A single cell with PdFe/SnFeP@rGO anode catalysts delivered maximum power densities of 60.24 and 857.54 mW cm⁻² in ethanol and hydrogen fuel, respectively, at 60 °C.