Pd Metallene Aerogels with Single-Atom W Doping for Selective Ethanol Oxidation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Developing efficient electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) with high C1 pathway selectivity is crucial.
• Current electrocatalysts often struggle to achieve satisfactory selectivity for the desired C1 pathway.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid and effective method for fabricating single-atom W-doped Pd metallene aerogels (SA W-Pd MAs).
• To investigate the EOR performance and C1 pathway selectivity of the synthesized SA W-Pd MAs.

Main Methods:

• A bubbling CO-induced gelation method was employed in acetic acid at 50 °C.
• Single-atom W-doped Pd metallene aerogels were synthesized within 1 hour.
• Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to understand reaction mechanisms.

Main Results:

• The SA W-Pd MAs exhibited outstanding EOR performance with high C1 pathway selectivity.
• DFT calculations confirmed enhanced formation of the CH3O intermediate.
• The catalyst facilitated the transformation of poisonous CO species to CO2.

Conclusions:

• The study presents an effective gelation method for fabricating noble metal aerogels with atomic-scale building blocks.
• The developed SA W-Pd MAs offer guidance for designing high-efficiency electrocatalysts for EOR.
• This work contributes to advancing C1 pathway selectivity in electrocatalytic reactions.