PdBi Single-Atom Alloy Aerogels for Efficient Ethanol Oxidation

Single-atom alloys (SAAs) have ignited a surge of unprecedented interest as the advanced nanomaterials and opened many opportunities for wide applications. Herein, 3D porous aerogels comprising ionic liquid (IL) functionalized PdBi SAA building blocks with atomically dispersed Bi on Pd nanowires (IL/Pd50Bi1) are synthesized with accelerated gelation kinetics, which could serve as high-efficiency electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Benefiting from the unique structures of aerogels including synergistic effects of PdBi SAA nanowire networks and interface engineering, the optimized IL/Pd50Bi1 aerogels display a nearly fourfold enhancement in mass activity and boosted stability for EOR compared to commercial Pd/C. Density functional theory calculations further demonstrate that isolated Bi atoms on Pd nanowire networks decrease the energy barrier of the rate-determining step, resulting in excellent electrocatalytic activity for EOR. This work provides a promising method for developing efficient SAA catalysts for fuel electrooxidation.

Automated summary

This study successfully synthesized 3D porous aerogels comprising IL/Pd50Bi1 SAAs with accelerated gelation kinetics, and demonstrated their high-efficiency electrocatalytic activity and stability for EOR. This work provides a promising method for developing efficient SAAs catalysts for fuel electrooxidation.