Multicomponent nanoporous Al–Ni–Cu–Pt–Pd–Co as highly stable anode catalysts in a flexible room-temperature pure ethanol–powered solid-state fuel cell

Abstract

Developing highly active and durable anodic catalysts with low noble-metal content for ethanol electrooxidation is important for boosting the performance of direct room-temperature ethanol fuel cells. Herein, we use a general and scalable dealloying method to prepare a series of nanoporous multicomponent alloys with different alloy compositions. It is found that the subsurface alloy composition play an important role on the catalytic activity of the surface noble metals due to the surface strain and electronic effect. By screening, we find that the AlNiCuPtPdCo senary combination exhibits the highest electrocatalytic activity for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. On the cathode electrode, a highly ORR active, durable, and ethanol-tolerant Co@N–C catalyst derived from MOF is used. Impressively, the designed solid-state room-temperature ethanol fuel cell using such anodic and cathodic catalysts can work immediately with the addition of pure ethanol, delivering a high power density of ~9.20 mW cm−2 with 1 mL ethanol. The flexible fuel cell can also work repeatedly when the added ethanol is consumed.