Self-supported PdNi dendrite on Ni foam for improving monohydric alcohol and polyhydric alcohols electrooxidation

Despite considerable efforts to study direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs), the development of efficient bifunctional catalysts for monohydric alcohol and polyhydric alcohols remains a great challenge. This work reports the preparation of self-supported PdNi dendrites on Ni foam (self-supported PdNi DNTs/NF) with a large specific surface area by a simple self-sacrificing template and hydrothermal method. The presence of NF with enrichment of nucleation sites is crucial for the generation of self-supported PdNi DNTs. The as-obtained self-supported PdNi DNTs/NF exhibits an excellent property for ethanol and glycerol electrooxidation with the mass activity of 2375.7 mA mg cat −1 and 2451.6 mA mg cat −1 , the specific activity of 10.07 mA cm −2 and 10.84 mA cm −2 , respectively, in alkaline media, which should attribute to abundant high-index facets and low-coordinated atoms on the edge of branches. Furthermore, the PdNi DNTs/NF exhibits outstanding long-term durability in the current–time test for 7200 s with superior anti-CO poisoning performance, possessing a potential application in DAFCs.