Boosting electrocatalytic oxidation of ethanol via AuPd anchored N, O-doped porous carbon sheets

With the growing emphasis on sustainable energy and carbon-neutral strategies, the efficient utilization of alcohol has attracted increasing attention. Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs), which convert ethanol into electricity, offer a nontoxic, environmentally friendly, and efficient pathway for green alcohol valorization. The commercialization of DEFCs critically depends on the development of highly active and durable electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). In this work, we report a green and facile self-reduction method to synthesize surface-clean AuPd alloy nanoparticles (NPs) uniformly anchored on nitrogen and oxygen co-doped porous carbon sheets (AuPd/NOPCS), without the use of external reductants, surfactants, or organic solvents. The high porosity and low reduction potential of NOPCS facilitate the formation of well-dispersed NPs on NOPCS. The resulting AuPd/NOPCS exhibits a significantly enhanced EOR mass activity of 12.68 A mg Pd −1 , surpassing that of commercial Pd/C (1.96 A mg Pd −1 ), AuPd/OPCS (1.81 A mg Pd −1 , OPCS defined as oxygen doped porous carbon sheets), and Pd/NOPCS (4.16 A mg Pd −1 ). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further reveal that the superior EOR performance of AuPd/NOPCS due to optimized electronic interactions and reduced intermediate adsorption. This work not only advances the rational design of efficient EOR electrocatalysts but also contributes to the broader goal of clean energy production from alcohols.