PdCuZn Nanoparticle-Decorated Ultrathin Amorphous CeO2 Nanowires for Ethylene Glycol Electrooxidation

Abstract

Creating a heterostructure in electrocatalysts generally can enhance the intrinsic activity during common electrocatalytic reactions. A facile method to synthesize PdCuZn nanoparticle-decorated ultrathin amorphous CeO₂ nanowire (NW) heterostructures was realized in an aqueous solution. The CeO₂ introduced in the material has unfilled 4f orbitals and abundant electron energy levels and contains abundant defects and oxygen vacancies, which can strongly interact with other components in the catalyst. At the same time, the ultrathin structure of the NW and the multiple components of the alloy material work together to improve the electrocatalytic alcohol oxidation performance of the catalyst. The electrocatalytic mass activity of the CeO₂/PdCuZn NW heterostructure toward ethylene glycol oxidation is 7.2 A mg_pd^–1 and the residual current after the stability test of 5000 s reaches 4.82 A mg_pd^–1, indicating the superior intrinsic activity and stability/durability. The heterostructures also possess good antipoisoning ability and electrocatalytic kinetics.