Ultrathin PdPtP nanodendrites as high-activity electrocatalysts toward alcohol oxidation.

PdPtP nanodendrites were prepared by a post-phosphating method. Due to their well-designed structure and composition, the EOR activity of the PtPdP NDs is significantly increased to 14.3 A mgPd+Pt-1, which is a significant improvement compared to commercial Pd/C catalysts. In addition, stability tests demonstrated their excellent catalytic activity and structural durability.

Highly branched and ultrathin Au nanodendrites for reduction catalysis.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have garnered significant attention due to their distinctive physicochemical properties, with 2D noble metal nanodendrites being particularly intriguing in terms of their properties and functional prospects. However, the synthesis of ultrathin and highly branched gold nanodendrites (AuNDs) still poses challenges. In this study, we successfully achieved the synthesis of highly branched 2D AuNDs with a thickness of 4 nm by employing a carboxyl-functionalized C22-tailed surfactant along with the co-directing agent 2-mercaptonicotinic acid (2-MNA). The careful selection of specific thiol molecules such as 2-MNA is crucial for controlling the degree of branching and promoting the formation of ultrathin nanodendrites. Furthermore, we extended this method to synthesize alloy nanodendrites (AuAg NDs and AuCoAg NDs) using a similar approach. Due to their highly branched and ultrathin two-dimensional morphology, these prepared AuNDs exhibit excellent catalytic performance in the model reaction for 4-NP reduction. This thiol-induced synthesis strategy for AuNDs opens up new possibilities for designing other Au nanomaterials with an ultrathin morphology/structure.

Engineering ultrathin PdAu nanoring via a facile process for electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation.

Ultrathin nanoframes with more available electrocatalytic active sites on both internal and external surfaces have attracted great attention especially in the field of electrocatalysis. Herein, we report a facile process to prepare PdAu nanorings (NRs) in aqueous solution without adding any organic ligands. The growth mechanism of PdAu NRs was explored in detail. The Au precursors were reduced into Au clusters around the edges of Pd nanosheets (NSs) via galvanic replacement, then the center of Pd NSs was oxidatively etched by Cl-/O2, and finally the Pd and Au atoms on the edge sites were rearranged to form uniform PdAu alloy. PdAu NRs with different ratios and ternary PdAuPt NRs could be easily prepared using this strategy. Owing to the synergistically structural and compositional advantages, Pd79Au21 NRs exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity and stability, as well as low activation energy (Ea) for the ethanol electrooxidation reaction.

Engineering high-entropy alloy nanowires network for alcohol electrooxidation.

High-entropy noble metals have attracted significant attention owning to their unique physicochemicalcharacteristics. Here we report a simple method for the preparation of high-entropy PdPtCuAgAu nanowire networks using carboxyl-functionalized surfactants as soft templates. This PdPtCuAgAu alloy electrocatalysts possess synergetic compositional (e.g., high-entropy effect, sluggish diffusion effect, and lattice distortion effect) and structural (anisotropic and thin nanowires) advantages. The PdPtCuAgAu alloy electrocatalysts exhibit significantly enhanced electrocatalytic performance toward ethanol oxidation reaction, including high mass activity (7.7 A mgPd+Pt-1), superior stability/durability, anti-poisoning ability, and fine electrocatalytic kinetics. Similar improvements in electrocatalytic performance are also seen in reactions involving other alcohols such as ethylene glycol and methanol. The high-entropy characteristics synergistically attributed to the enhanced electrocatalytic ability for different reaction process. This approach for the synthesis of high-entropy alloys will provide a new route to rationally design other high-entropy nanocatalysts with desired morphologies/structure and functions for a wide range of (electro)catalytic applications.

Ultrathin RhCuAgPd/Pd nanowire heterostructures for ethylene glycol electrooxidation.

Ultrathin RhCuAgPd/Pd nanowire heterostructures were prepared by a seed-mediated growth method. Due to the synergistic structural (including ultrathin NWs and interfaces) and compositional (Pd, Rh, Cu and Ag) advantages, the RhCuAgPd/Pd NWs exhibit superior electrocatalytic performance toward ethylene glycol oxidation under alkaline conditions, including high mass activity (6.63 A mgPd-1), fine stability/durability and resistance to CO poisoning, favourable electrocatalytic kinetics and low activation energy values (18.64 kJ mol-1).