Issue 4, 2020

Intermetallic Pd3Pb nanocubes with high selectivity for the 4-electron oxygen reduction reaction pathway

Abstract

Pd-Based nanoparticles are excellent alternatives to the typically used Pt-based materials that catalyze fuel cell reactions. Specifically, Pd-based intermetallic nanomaterials have shown great promise as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media; however, their synthesis remains a challenge and shape-controlled nanoparticles are limited. Here, a low-temperature approach to intermetallic Pd3Pb nanocubes is demonstrated and their electrocatalytic properties evaluated for the ORR. The intermetallic Pd3Pb nanocubes outperformed all reference catalysts, with a mass activity of 154 mA mgPd−1 which is a 130% increase in activity compared to the commercial Pd/C reference and a 230% increase compared to Pd nanocubes. Tafel analysis reveals that the Pd3Pb nanocubes are highly selective for the 4-electron reduction pathway, with minimal HO2 formation. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the increased activity for the intermetallic nanocubes compared to Pd is likely due to the weakening of OH* adsorption, decreasing the required overpotential. These results show that intermetallic Pd3Pb nanocubes are highly efficient for the 4-electron pathway of the ORR and could inspire the study of other shape-controlled intermetallics as catalysts for fuel cell applications.

Graphical abstract: Intermetallic Pd3Pb nanocubes with high selectivity for the 4-electron oxygen reduction reaction pathway

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 11 2019
Accepted
23 12 2019
First published
14 1 2020

Nanoscale, 2020,12, 2532-2541

Author version available

Intermetallic Pd3Pb nanocubes with high selectivity for the 4-electron oxygen reduction reaction pathway

J. T. L. Gamler, K. Shin, H. M. Ashberry, Y. Chen, S. L. A. Bueno, Y. Tang, G. Henkelman and S. E. Skrabalak, Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 2532 DOI: 10.1039/C9NR09759G

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