Metal-organic interface engineering for coupling palladium nanocrystals over functionalized graphene as an advanced electrocatalyst of methanol and ethanol oxidation

Shuwen Li; Sizhuo Ma; Yixuan Zhang; Limin Zhao; Honglei Yang; Ruifa Jin

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2020.12.080

Metal-organic interface engineering for coupling palladium nanocrystals over functionalized graphene as an advanced electrocatalyst of methanol and ethanol oxidation

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2021 Apr 15:588:384-392. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.12.080. Epub 2020 Dec 25.

Authors

Shuwen Li¹, Sizhuo Ma², Yixuan Zhang², Limin Zhao³, Honglei Yang², Ruifa Jin³

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China. Electronic address: lishw@lzu.edu.cn.
² State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
³ Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Photoelectric Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Chifeng University, Chifeng 024000, China.

PMID: 33422787
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.12.080

Abstract

Adjusting the surface structures and electronic structures of metal nanocrystals (NCs) by the metal-organic interface interaction is an emerging strategy to enhance their electrocatalytic behavior. In this work, the d-phenylalanine-functionalized graphene (DPHE-GS) anchoring Pd NCs (denoted as Pd/DPHE-GS) was fabricated via the diazo-reaction followed by a simple chemical reduction. Owing to the metal-organic interface interaction between Pd NCs and DPHE, the size, distribution and electronic structures of Pd NCs on the surface of DPHE-GS can be adjusted. Therefore, the Pd/DPHE-GS shows the highest electrocatalytic activity and the most robust long-term durability and stability towards methanol and ethanol oxidation reaction (MOR and EOR) compared to the commercial Pd/C and other counterparts. This work presents an effective interface engineering strategy to enhance electrocatalytic property.

Keywords: Chemical functionalized grapheme; Electrocatalysis; Ethanol oxidation reaction; Methanol oxidation reaction; Palladium nanocrystals.