Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 8, 2026
Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether
Published on: August 17, 2019
Engineering Low-Coordinated Edge and Step Sites on Ultrathin PdSn Nanomesh for Promoting C─C Bond Cleavage of Ethanol
Zipei Cui1, Yipeng Nie1, Longquan Deng1
1State Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Green Resource Recycling, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
Promoting C─C bond cleavage of ethanol to achieve a complete 12-electron pathway (C1 pathway) for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) is crucial for the development of highly efficient direct ethanol fuel cells. In this study, a highly porous ultrathin PdSn nanomesh (NM) with high proportion of low-coordinated edge and step sites is developed for alkaline EOR. The PdSn NM/C catalyst exhibited superior specific activity of 21.9 ± 0.9 mA cm-2 Pd with a significantly enhanced Faradaic efficiency of C1 pathway to CO2. In situ attenuated total reflection surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy measurements demonstrated the significant enhancement of C1 selectivity on PdSn NM/C. Theoretical calculations further revealed the pivotal role of low-coordinated edge and step sites in effectively lowering the activation energy barrier for C─C bond cleavage of CH3CO*. This work provides a strategy for the rational design of highly efficient EOR electrocatalysts through low-coordinated site engineering.
Related Concept Videos
00:57C–C Bond Cleavage: Retro-Aldol Reaction
In the first step, as depicted in Figure 1, the base deprotonates the β-hydroxy ketone at the hydroxyl group to form an alkoxide ion.
02:17Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...