In situ electrochemical redox tuning of Pd-Co hybrid electrocatalysts for high-performance methanol oxidation: Strong metal-support interaction

Construction of strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) is of fundamental interest in the preparation of supported metal nanoparticle catalysts with enhanced catalytic activity. Herein, we report a facile in situ electrochemical redox tuning approach to build strong interactions between metals and supports. As for a typical example, a composite electrocatalyst of Pd-Co hybrid nanoparticles directly developed on Ni substrate is found to follow a distinct surface self-reconstruction process in alkaline media via an in situ electrochemical redox procedure, which results in structural transition from the original nanoparticles (NPs) to nanosheets (NSs) coupled with a phase transformation of the Co component, Co -> CoO/Co(OH)(2). The SMSI is observed in the electrochemically tuned Pd-Co hybrid system and leads to significantly enhanced catalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) due to the modified atomic/electronic structure, increased surface area, and more exposed electroactive sites. Compared with commercial Pd/C catalyst, the electrochemically tuned Pd-Co hybrid catalyst with SMSI exhibits superior catalytic activity 2330 mA.mg(p)(d)(1)) and much better stability (remains 503 mA.mg(p)(d)(1) after 1000 cycles and 172 mA.mg(p)(d)(1) after 5000 s), and therefore has great potential in practical applications. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Utilizing an in situ electrochemical redox tuning approach, strong metal-support interactions were successfully created, leading to enhanced catalytic activity in a Pd-Co hybrid system. This approach resulted in structural transition from nanoparticles to nanosheets, improving atomic/electronic structure and increasing surface area for more exposed electroactive sites, ultimately showing superior catalytic performance and stability compared to commercial catalysts.