Design and Synthesis of Palladium/Black Phosphorus-Graphene Hybrids as High-Performance Catalysts for Ethanol Electrooxidation in Alkaline Media

In this study, a series of Pd-supported black phosphorus-graphene (Pd/BP-G) catalysts are prepared to explore their electrocatalytic performances in the electrooxidation of ethanol in alkaline media. The characterization results show that BP is combined with activated graphene to form a P-C bond and a P-O-C bond heterojunction. Pd nanoparticles equally anchor on the BP-G hybrid, and Pd/BP-G exhibited enhanced electro-catalytic activity for the ethanol oxidation reaction in alkaline media. The electrochemically active surface area and mass activity for the Pd/BP-G catalyst reached 210.4 m2 & BULL;gPd-1 and 3960.0 mA & BULL; mgPd-1, which are 9.54 and 5.86 times higher than those of commercial Pd/C, respectively. Further studies show that Pd/BP-G catalysts have reliable stabilities and faster reaction kinetics. These results indicate that the prepared Pd/BP-G catalysts have great application potentials in direct ethanol fuel cells.

Automated summary

In this study, Pd-supported black phosphorus-graphene (Pd/BP-G) catalysts were prepared and their electrocatalytic performances in the electrooxidation of ethanol in alkaline media were explored. The results showed that BP is combined with activated graphene to form heterojunctions, and Pd nanoparticles are evenly anchored on the BP-G hybrid. Pd/BP-G exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity for ethanol oxidation, with significantly higher surface area and mass activity compared to commercial Pd/C.