Epitaxial growth of Pd clusters on N-doped Ag nanowires for oxygen reduction reaction
Qinhe Guan,
Shiwei Sun,
Xiaohang Ge,
Fan Zhang,
Lijie Qu,
Chao Yin,
Weiyong Yuan,
Lianying Zhang
Affiliations
Qinhe Guan
Institute of Materials for Energy and Environment, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Shiwei Sun
Institute of Materials for Energy and Environment, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Xiaohang Ge
Institute of Materials for Energy and Environment, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Fan Zhang
Institute of Materials for Energy and Environment, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Lijie Qu
Institute of Materials for Energy and Environment, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Chao Yin
Institute of Materials for Energy and Environment, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Weiyong Yuan
Ningbo Innovation Centre, Zhejiang University, Ningbo 315100, China; College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; Corresponding authors.
Lianying Zhang
Institute of Materials for Energy and Environment, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; Corresponding authors.
Efficient and stable Pt-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are indispensable for future fuel cells. Herein, we describe a heterostructure of Pd nanocrystals (PdNCs) on N-doped Ag nanowires (NWs) synthesized using a direct epitaxial growth strategy with a Pd loading of only 9.5 wt.%. The PdAg bimetallic heterostructure showed the highest mass activity among reported PdAg-based ORR electrocatalysts and exhibited excellent stability, with only a 1.5 mV decay in the half-wave potential even after 20000 cycles of continuous testing. The remarkably enhanced activity and durability can be attributed to the distinct advantages of the ultrasmall PdNCs, cocatalysts of N-doped AgNWs, and their heterointerfaces. This work reveals that the epitaxial growth of a heterostructure on a stable support is a promising strategy for promoting catalytic performance.
