PdLa Bimetallenes with Nonhomogeneous Crystal Structure for Flexible Isopropanol Sensors

The development of efficient electrochemical catalysts capable of highly sensitive detection of small molecules poses a significant challenge. Recent advancements in two-dimensional materials, such as palladium metallene (Pdene), have shown promising application prospects in overcoming these challenges. Nevertheless, critical issues such as optimizing their electrochemical activity and enhancing sensitivity and selectivity for molecular detection remain unresolved. In this study, we synthesized lanthanum-doped palladium bimetallenes (PdLa BMLs), which serve as high-performance catalysts for constructing flexible electrochemical sensors with highly sensitive and selective responses to isopropanol. This improvement is attributed to the nonhomogeneous crystal structure of the Pdene substrate, which, enhanced by La doping, optimizes the electronic structure and active sites, resulting in increased adsorption capacity (evidenced by a significant upward shift in the d-band center) and reduced reaction energy barriers in the isopropanol oxidation reaction (IOR). Our findings not only demonstrate that La doping enhances the activity of metallene active sites, thereby improving catalytic efficiency, but also broaden the applications of metallenes in electrocatalytic sensors for detecting small molecules relevant to health and food industries.