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Updated: May 5, 2026

Hydrogen Production and Utilization in a Membrane Reactor
Published on: March 10, 2023
Electronic Modulation via a Pd-CeO2 Heterointerface for Superior Alkaline Hydrogen Oxidation
Minhui Zhong1, Qingzhen Xu1, Wenhai Xu1
1Department of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
Abstract:
The sluggish kinetics of the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in alkaline media remain a primary bottleneck for anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), necessitating catalysts that synergistically optimize the adsorption of hydrogen (*H) and hydroxide (*OH) intermediates. Herein, we construct a well-defined heterointerface between Pd clusters and CeO2 on nitrogen-doped carbon (Pd-CeO2/NC) to electronically engineer the active sites. Spectroscopic studies and theoretical calculations collectively reveal that CeO2 acts as an electron acceptor, drawing electrons from Pd via interfacial Pd-O-Ce bridges. This charge transfer induces a downshift of the Pd d-band center, which optimally tunes the adsorption strength of both *H and *OH at the interface, thereby breaking the scaling relationship that limits HOR activity. The resulting Pd-CeO2/NC catalyst achieves an exceptional exchange current density of 3.66 mA cm-2, surpassing that of commercial Pt/C by a factor of two and ranking among the best reported noble metal catalysts. Furthermore, it exhibits outstanding long-term stability and remarkable CO tolerance, retaining high activity in an atmosphere containing 1000 ppm CO. This work underscores the profound efficacy of metal-oxide heterointerface engineering in regulating electronic structures for multi-intermediate optimization, offering a viable design principle for advanced alkaline HOR electrocatalysts.
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