Ultrathin PdAuBiTe Nanosheets as High-Performance Oxygen Reduction Catalysts for a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Device

Ultrathin 2D metal nanostructures have sparked a lot of research interest because of their improved electrocatalytic properties for fuel cells. So far, no effective technique for preparing ultrathin 2D Pd-based metal nanostructures with more than three compositions has been published. Herein, a new visible-light-induced template technique for producing PdAuBiTe alloyed 2D ultrathin nanosheets is developed. The mass activity of the PdAuBiTe nanosheets against the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is 2.48 A mg(Pd)(-1), which is 27.5/17.7 times that of industrial Pd/C/Pt/C, respectively. After 10 000 potential cyclings, there is no decrease in ORR activity. The PdAuBiTe nanosheets exhibit high methanol tolerance and in situ anti-CO poisoning properties. The PdAuBiTe nanosheets, as cathode electrocatalysts in direct methanol fuel cells, can thus give significant improvement in terms of power density and durability. In O-2/air, the power density can be increased to 235.7/173.5 mW cm(-2), higher than that reported in previous work, and which is 2.32/3.59 times higher than Pt/C.

Automated summary

A new visible-light-induced template technique has been developed to produce PdAuBiTe alloyed 2D ultrathin nanosheets, showing excellent oxygen reduction reaction activity and anti-CO poisoning properties. As cathode electrocatalysts in direct methanol fuel cells, the PdAuBiTe nanosheets can significantly improve power density and durability. In O-2/air, the power density can be increased to 235.7/173.5 mW cm(-2), higher than previous reports, and is 2.32/3.59 times higher than Pt/C.