One-pot controllable epitaxial growth of Pd-based heterostructures for enhanced formic acid oxidation

Abstract

Epitaxial heterostructures with controlled composition and morphology are of particular interest thanks to their fantastic physicochemical properties for energy, electronic devices, and catalysis. Nonetheless, big challenges remain in the facile and controllable preparation of noble-metal-based heterostructures. Herein, we report one-pot controllable epitaxial growth of Pd-based heterostructures composed of W doped Pd nanosheets growing along the edges of small-nanosheet-assembled Pd nanocrystals by adjusting the decomposition temperature of W(CO)6, which shows greatly enhanced catalytic activity, stability, and selectivity for formic acid oxidation compared to the control samples including small-nanosheet-assembled Pd nanocrystals, Pd nanosheets, and Commercial Pd/C catalysts. Our study demonstrates a convenient method to controllably prepare Pd-based heterostructures, and offers new opportunities to create various epitaxial heterostructures with unique properties and promising applications.