Atomically Engineered Defect-Rich Palladium Metallene for High-Performance Alkaline Oxygen Reduction...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Defect engineering is crucial for tuning catalyst properties.
• Nanostructured catalysts are vital for energy conversion.
• Palladium-based materials show promise for catalysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a defect-rich palladium metallene nanostructure.
• To evaluate its catalytic activity for the alkaline oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
• To demonstrate its application in a zinc-air battery.

Main Methods:

• Facile and scalable synthesis of defect-rich WOx and MoOx modified Pd metallene (D-Pd M).
• Detailed structural analyses to identify atomic-level defects (pores, concave surfaces, anchored metal oxide sites).
• Electrochemical testing for ORR activity and zinc-air battery performance evaluation.

Main Results:

• D-Pd M exhibits excellent ORR activity (0.93 V vs. RHE), outperforming Pt/C and Pd/C.
• High mass activity of 1.3 A mgPd⁻¹ at 0.9 V vs. RHE was achieved.
• The D-Pd M integrated Zn-air battery showed high specific capacity (809 mAh gZn⁻¹) and stability.

Conclusions:

• Targeted defect engineering in 2D palladium metallenes yields highly active ORR catalysts.
• The D-Pd M catalyst offers a promising platform for energy storage applications.
• This study provides a blueprint for designing defect sites in nanomaterials for energy technologies.