Palladium Nanoparticles Anchored on Three-Dimensional Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotubes as a Robust Electrocatalyst for Ethanol Oxidation

Abstract

Palladium nanoparticles were uniformly anchored on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes with a three-dimensional network structure (denoted as Pd/3DNCNTs) through a facile, surfactant-free, and green approach with ethanol as the reducing agent. As a robust catalyst for the ethanol electrocatalytic oxidation reaction (EOR), Pd/3DNCNTs exhibit superior improved electrocatalytic activity, accelerated kinetics, and robust stability, mainly attributed to the unique architecture features of the 3DNCNTs. The results of this part of the work reveal that the Pd/3DNCNTs with an infusive electrochemical property for EOR are promising for direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) and various other applications in electrochemistry. Additionally, the green approach probably provides some new ideas for the design of other new catalysts for fuel cells.