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

Novel Pd-1-Sn-x/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 Pd-1-Sn-0.6/TiO2 NSs catalyst presents outstanding activity (3381 mA mg(pd)(-1)) and excellent CO anti-poisoning ability for EOR. Meanwhile, the residual current density of Pd-1-Sn-0.6/TiO2 NSs nanocatalyst (1207 mA mg(pd)(-1)) is 8.5 times of the Pd/C (JM) catalyst (142 mA mg(pd)(-1)) after the durability test of 5000 s for EOR. Additionally, the Pd-1-Sn-x/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. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.