Rational design of biogenic PdxAuy nanoparticles with enhanced catalytic performance for electrocatalysis and azo dyes degradation

Jin-Feng Ma; Ya-Nan Hou; Jianbo Guo; Hafiz Muhammad Adeel Sharif; Cong Huang; Jianhai Zhao; Haibo Li; Yuanyuan Song; Caicai Lu; Yi Han; Yousuo Zhang; Ai-Jie Wang

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.112086

Rational design of biogenic Pd^xAu^y nanoparticles with enhanced catalytic performance for electrocatalysis and azo dyes degradation

Environ Res. 2022 Mar;204(Pt B):112086. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112086. Epub 2021 Sep 22.

Authors

Jin-Feng Ma¹, Ya-Nan Hou², Jianbo Guo³, Hafiz Muhammad Adeel Sharif⁴, Cong Huang⁵, Jianhai Zhao⁶, Haibo Li⁶, Yuanyuan Song⁶, Caicai Lu⁶, Yi Han⁶, Yousuo Zhang⁷, Ai-Jie Wang⁸

Affiliations

¹ Tianjin Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science and Technology, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, 300384, China; National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China.
² Tianjin Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science and Technology, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, 300384, China; National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China. Electronic address: houyn2013@163.com.
³ Tianjin Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science and Technology, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, 300384, China. Electronic address: jianbguo@163.com.
⁴ College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
⁵ National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China.
⁶ Tianjin Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science and Technology, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, 300384, China.
⁷ CCCC-TDC Harbour Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., Huanggu Dongheng street 8#, Tianjin, 300450, China.
⁸ Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.

PMID: 34562479
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112086

Abstract

The green biogenic PdAu nanoparticles (bio-PdAu NPs) exhibits remarkable catalytic performance in hydrogenation, which is highly desired. However, the catalytic principles and effectiveness of bio-Pd^xAu^y NPs in response to various catalytic systems (electrocatalysis and suspension-catalysis) are unclear. Herein, a facile synthetic strategy for bio-Pd^xAu^y NPs synthesis with controlled size and the catalytic principles for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and azo dye degradation is reported. In the biosynthetic process, the size and composition of the bio-Pd^xAu^y NPs could be precisely controlled by predesigning the precursor mass ratio of Pd/Au, and the Au proportion showed a linear relationship with the size of NPs (R² = 0.92). The obtained bio-Pd^xAu^y NPs exhibit variable activity in electrocatalysis (HER) and suspension-catalysis (azo dye degradation). For electrocatalysis, the formation of conductive networks that facilitates the extracellular electron transfer is crucial. It was revealed that the bio-Pd²Au⁸ exhibited superior electrocatalytic performance in HER/toward hydrogen evolution, with a maximum current density of 1.65 mA cm^-2, which was 1.54 times higher than that commercial Pd/C (1.07 mA cm^-2). The high electrocatalytic activity was attributed to its appropriate size (81.38 ± 6.14 nm) and uniform distribution on the cell surface, which promoted the extracellular electron transfer by constructing a conductive network between catalyst and electrode. However, for suspension-catalysis, the size effect and synergistic effect of bimetallic NPs have a more prominent effect on the degradation of azo dyes. As the increase of Au proportion the particle size decreases, and the catalytic activity of bio-Pd^xAu^y improved significantly. The response principles of bio-Pd^xAu^y proposed in this study provide a reliable reference for the rational design of bio-based bimetallic catalysts with enhanced catalytic performance.

Keywords: Bimetallic nanoparticles; Biosynthesis; Catalytic activity; Shewanella oneidensis MR-1; Size control.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Azo Compounds*
Catalysis
Electrodes
Nanoparticles*
Palladium

Substances

Azo Compounds
Palladium