Construction of PdCu Alloy Decorated on the N-Doped Carbon Aerogel as a Highly Active Electrocatalyst for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Fuel cells/zinc–air cells represent a transformative technology for clean energy conversion, offering substantial environmental benefits and exceptional theoretical efficiency. However, the high cost and limited durability of platinum-based catalysts for the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Gels |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/11/3/166 |
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| Summary: | Fuel cells/zinc–air cells represent a transformative technology for clean energy conversion, offering substantial environmental benefits and exceptional theoretical efficiency. However, the high cost and limited durability of platinum-based catalysts for the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode severely restrict their scalability and practical application. To address these critical challenges, this study explores a groundbreaking approach to developing ORR catalysts with enhanced performance and reduced costs. We present a novel Pd<sub>3</sub>Cu alloy, innovatively modified with N-doped carbon aerogels, synthesized via a simple self-assembly and freeze-drying method. The three-dimensional carbon aerogel-based porous structures provide diffusion channels for oxygen molecules, excellent electrical conductivity, and abundant ORR reaction sites. The Pd<sub>3</sub>Cu@2NC-20% aerogel exhibits a remarkable enhancement in ORR activity, achieving a half-wave potential of 0.925 V, a limiting current density of 6.12 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>, and excellent long-term stability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that electrons tend to transfer from the Pd atoms to the neighboring *O, leading to an increase in the negative charge around the *O. This, in turn, weakens the interaction between the catalyst surface and the *O and optimizes the elementary steps of the ORR process. |
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| ISSN: | 2310-2861 |