Untrafine PdCu alloys dispersedly immobilized on hairy graphene oxide for enhanced electrocatalytic nitrate reduction

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (NO 3 RR) is an efficient technique for nitrate removal. In this work, we successfully synthesized Pd x Cu y @ r GO- g -P4VP composite as electrocatalytic catalyst for nitrate reduction. Our synthetic method ensured uniform distribution of PdCu alloy nanoparticles on the P4VP-grafted r GO without notable aggregation. This approach achieves precise control over alloy particle size, consistently below 5 nm, thus providing a higher specific surface area that increases the exposure of active sites and potentially enhances catalytic efficiency. Additionally, the P4VP polymer chains effectively stabilized the PdCu alloy particles, preventing detachment and significantly improving the durability and recyclability of the catalyst. The optimized Pd x Cu y @ r GO- g -P4VP catalyst exhibited outstanding performance at an applied voltage of −1.4 V, with a nitrate conversion rate of 99.41% and nitrogen selectivity of 80.37%. These findings underscore the potential of this method for high-efficiency and selective electrocatalytic denitrification, providing valuable insights for future catalyst design.