PdPtBi networked nanowires derived from Pd nanosheets as efficient catalysts for ethanol oxidation

Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) have received increasing attention as one of the most promising energy conversion devices. However, developing catalysts with high activity, long durability and strong anti-poisoning ability for ethanol oxidation is still challenging. Here, using Pd nanosheets as sacrificial templates, we have successfully synthesized PdPtBi networked nanowires (NWs) to improve the activity and stability for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) due to the addition of Bi. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrated the downshift of d-band center of Pd, which is beneficial to suppress CO poisoning and boost reaction kinetics for EOR. Impressively, the PdPtBi networked NWs exhibited the highest activity (11.08 A·mg_Pd+Pt⁻¹ and 92.52 mA·cm⁻²) with an enhancement of 4.4 and 17.5 times relative to those of Pd/C, respectively and best stability with a 47.2% left versus only a 5.8% left for Pd/C of mass activity after 3,600 s towards EOR. This work deepens the understanding of controllable preparation of networked NWs and provides an effective strategy to design advanced catalysts with high activity and stability.