Superior electrocatalytic activity of ultrathin PtPdBi nanowires towards ethanol electrooxidation. Issue 63 (17th June 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Xiao-Ting; Zhou, Lin-Nan; Shen, Yan-Yan; Liu, Hong-Tao; Li, Yong-Jun
• Is Part Of: RSC advances. Volume 6:Issue 63(2016)
• Page Start: 58336
• Page End: 58342
• Publication Date: 2016-06-17
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540.5
• DOI: 10.1039/c6ra08813a
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-2069

Abstract

Abstract : Ultrathin Pt x Pd93− x Bi7 alloy nanowires were synthesized by one-pot wet-chemical method. Optimized Pt55 Pd38 Bi7 exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity and long-term durability towards ethanol oxidation. Abstract : Bimetallic catalysts, PtBi, PtPd and PdBi have been explored and may be promising candidates for next-generation anodic catalysts of direct alcohol fuel cells due to their enhanced catalytic activity and long-term durability. However, ternary PtPdBi alloy catalysts are rarely reported because of the synthetic difficulty in manipulating three metallic precursors. Here, ternary metallic Pt x Pd93− x Bi7 alloy nanowires were prepared for systematically investigating their electrocatalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation in basic solution by cyclic voltammetric and amperometric techniques. Pt x Pd93− x Bi7 alloy nanowire, whether loaded on Vulcan XC72 carbon (C) or reduced graphene oxide (RGO), has better catalytic activity than PtPd, PtBi, PdBi, Pt/C, or Pd catalyst. Nevertheless, the catalytic activity of Pt x Pd93− x Bi7 closely depends on the Pt : Pd atomic ratio. Pt55 Pd38 Bi7 alloy nanowire with the optimal Pt : Pd atomic ratio can produce the maximum enhancement towards ethanol electrooxidation. RGO replacing C as catalyst supporter can further improve the catalytic performance of catalyst. Pt55 Pd38 Bi7 /RGO exhibits a superior catalytic performance, the mass activity of which reaches ∼3.60 A mg −1, ∼6 times better than commercial Pt/C.