Ultrafine oxygenophilic nanoalloys induced by multifunctional interstitial boron for methanol oxidation reaction

Junhao Shu; Haojie Ma; Gangjun Tang; Ruxia Li; Sizhuo Ma; Jianqi Meng; Honglei Yang; Shuwen Li

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2022.09.093

Ultrafine oxygenophilic nanoalloys induced by multifunctional interstitial boron for methanol oxidation reaction

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Jan;629(Pt B):482-491. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.09.093. Epub 2022 Sep 22.

Authors

Junhao Shu¹, Haojie Ma², Gangjun Tang¹, Ruxia Li¹, Sizhuo Ma¹, Jianqi Meng¹, Honglei Yang³, Shuwen Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, PR China.
² Key Laboratory of New Energy & New Functional Materials, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Reaction Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yan' an University, Yan' an, Shaanxi 716000, PR China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, PR China. Electronic address: yanghl@lzu.edu.cn.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, PR China. Electronic address: lishw@lzu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36174291
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.09.093

Abstract

Interface construction is one of the most feasible approaches to optimize the physical and chemical properties of noble metal-based catalysts and consequently improve their catalytic performance. Herein, the design of effective reaction interfaces by bimetallic, trimetallic or polymetallic alloying has been extensively explored. In this research, metalloid boron (B) was alloyed within palladium-iridium (Pd-Ir) nanoalloy supported on nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) to promote the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in alkaline media. Being benefited from this, the optimum Pd₇IrB_x/NG catalyst exhibited enhanced EOR activity mass activity (1141.7 mA mg^-1) and long-term stability (58.2 % current density retention rate after 500 cycles of cyclic voltammetry). The mechanism was further studied by electrochemical experiments and characterization, which highlighted that the multifunctional effect of electronic effect and strain effect and kinetic optimization induced by boron doping played a very positive role on MOR.

Keywords: Interface construction; Metalloid boron; Methanol oxidation reaction; Multifunctional effect; Nitrogen-doped graphene.