Well-dispersed Pd–Sn nanocatalyst anchored on TiO2 nanosheets with enhanced activity and durability for ethanol electarooxidation

Abstract

Novel Pd1-Snx/TiO2 nanosheets catalyst with higher activity and durability for ethanol oxidation (EOR) was obtained by NaBH4 co-reduction method in direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs). The electrochemical performance tested under alkaline conditions illustrates that the prepared Pd1–Sn0.6/TiO2 NSs catalyst presents outstanding activity (3381 mAmgPd−1) and excellent CO anti-poisoning ability for EOR. Meanwhile, the residual current density of Pd1–Sn0.6/TiO2 NSs nanocatalyst (1207mAmgPd−1) is 8.5 times of the Pd/C (JM) catalyst (142 mAmgPd−1) after the durability test of 5000 s for EOR. Additionally, the Pd1-Snx/TiO2 nanosheets show prominent electrocatalytic activity in EOR comparison with Pd/TiO2 nanosheets and Pd–Sn nanocatalysts. Thus, Pd and Sn doped in TiO2 nanosheets not only display excellent electrocatalytic, but also reduce the cost of Pd, which have some reference value for DEFCs.