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Facile growth of ultra-small Pd nanoparticles on zeolite-templated mesocellular graphene foam for enhanced alcohol electrooxidation

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Abstract

Labor-saving preparation of highly active electrocatalysts for alcohols oxidation, especially for the ethylene glycol and glycerol electrooxidation is of great importance for the development of fuel cells. Herein, mesocellular graphene foam (MGF) constructed by ultrathin nanosheets were prepared using lamellar MCM-22 zeolite as template and then ultra-small Pd NPs were facile grew on it via the stabilizer-free synthesis. Detailed characterizations showed that the obtained Pd/MGF had large surface area, hierarchical porous architecture, semi-graphitic framework and dispersed Pd NPs anchoring. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that Pd/MGF possessed the higher catalytic activity (1.7–2.9 fold higher) and stability for the different alcohols electrooxidation, especially for the ethylene glycol and glycerol electrooxidation in the alkaline solution, than the commercial Pd/C (10 wt.%) catalyst. Reaction kinetics analysis revealed the expanded diffusion-controlled process of Pd/MGF as compared to Pd/C. These findings promised a potential electrocatalyst for DAFC, especially for the direct ethylene glycol or glycerol fuel cells with high energy density.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21675032), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and DHU Distinguished Young Professor Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Advanced Low-dimension Materials, State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Xuexue Cui, Yaling Li, Mingyu Zhao, Yunshi Xu, Leilei Chen, Shuguang Yang & Yi Wang

  2. College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Leilei Chen & Yi Wang

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  1. Xuexue Cui
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  2. Yaling Li
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Correspondence to Yi Wang.

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12274_2018_2222_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Facile growth of ultra-small Pd nanoparticles on zeolite-templated mesocellular graphene foam for enhanced alcohol electrooxidation

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Cui, X., Li, Y., Zhao, M. et al. Facile growth of ultra-small Pd nanoparticles on zeolite-templated mesocellular graphene foam for enhanced alcohol electrooxidation. Nano Res. 12, 351–356 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-018-2222-6

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