PdOs bimetallene for energy-saving hydrogen production coupled with ethanol electro-oxidation

Abstract

The replacement of sluggish oxygen evolution reaction by more thermodynamically favorable ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) is a promising strategy for coproduction of hydrogen and valuable chemicals in energy-saving mode. Here, we propose the synthesis of highly curved PdOs bimetallene, which possesses high active sites atomic utilization and conductivity. Furthermore, alloy effect can regulate electronic structure and optimize adsorption energy of reactants. Therefore, PdOs bimetallene exhibits superior performance for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and EOR under basic solutions, with overpotential of 36 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and mass activity of 1.51 mA/μgPd, respectively. In the EOR-HER coelectrolysis system, PdOs bimetallene requires low voltage of 0.801 V for concurrent production of hydrogen and acetate at 50 mA/cm2, which greatly reduces energy consumption compared to conventional water electrolysis (1.976 V). This method provides a promising strategy for designing bimetallic electrocatalysts toward simultaneous energy-saving generation of hydrogen and high-value chemicals by replacing sluggish oxygen evolution reaction with more favorable EOR.