CoFe-Layered Double Hydroxide Coupled with Pd Particles for Electrocatalytic Ethanol Oxidation

Electrocatalytic efficiency and stability have emerged as critical issues in the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) of direct ethanol fuel cells. In this paper, Pd/Co1Fe3–LDH/NF as an electrocatalyst for EOR was prepared by a two-step synthetic strategy. Metal–oxygen bonds formed between Pd nanoparticles and Co1Fe3–LDH/NF guaranteed structural stability and adequate surface-active site exposure. More importantly, the charge transfer of the formed Pd–O–Co(Fe) bridge could effectively modulate the electrical structure of hybrids, improving the facilitated absorption of OH– radicals and oxidation of COads. Benefiting from the interfacial interaction, exposed active sites, and structural stability, the observed specific activity for Pd/Co1Fe3–LDH/NF (17.46 mA cm–2) was 97 and 73 times higher than those of commercial Pd/C (20%) (0.18 mA cm–2) and Pt/C (20%) (0.24 mA cm–2), respectively. Besides, the jf/jr ratio representing the resistance to catalyst poisoning was 1.92 in the Pd/Co1Fe3–LDH/NF catalytic system. These results provide insights into optimizing the electronic interaction between metals and the support of electrocatalysts for EOR.