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Interface-Defect-Rich In-Mo Codoped Pd Metallene for Enhanced C1 Selectivity During Electrocatalytic Ethanol
Hui Wang1, Yanan Li2, Jingjing Dou1
1Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Devices, School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|May 30, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a new Indium-Molybdenum codoped Palladium (Pd) metallene catalyst to improve direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) efficiency. This novel catalyst significantly enhances ethanol electrooxidation reaction (EOR) performance and selectivity for clean energy applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) offer a promising clean energy alternative.
- Current DEFC efficiency is hampered by the poor C-C bond cleavage of Palladium (Pd)-based catalysts during ethanol electrooxidation reaction (EOR).
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize a novel Indium-Molybdenum (In-Mo) codoped Pd metallene catalyst.
- To investigate the enhanced EOR performance and reaction mechanism of the new catalyst for DEFC applications.
Main Methods:
- A simple wet-chemical method was employed to synthesize the In-Mo codoped Pd metallene, featuring face-centered cubic, intermetallic, and amorphous phases.
- Catalyst structure and EOR performance were systematically characterized.
- In situ Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were used to elucidate the reaction mechanism.
Main Results:
- The optimal PdInMo metallene achieved a C1 pathway selectivity of 73.68%, over 12 times that of commercial Pd/C.
- Mass and specific activities were significantly higher than undoped Pd metallene and commercial Pd/C, showing 2.38x and 6.85x improvements, respectively.
- Excellent cycling stability was observed, with 75.10% activity retention, attributed to synergistic In-Mo codoping and interface defects that optimize adsorption and reduce energy barriers.
Conclusions:
- The In-Mo codoping and rich interface defects in the Pd metallene synergistically enhance EOR performance by strengthening OH* adsorption, weakening CO* adsorption, and lowering the C-C bond cleavage energy barrier.
- This study presents a novel strategy for designing highly selective and active Pd-based catalysts for ethanol electrooxidation, advancing DEFC technology.
