Copper doped palladium metallene with enhanced catalytic activity for the electrochemical detection and degradation of 4-nitrophenol

Metallene, as a new type of metal material, has unique structure and properties, which brings new research directions and application prospects for environmental wastewater treatment, catalysis, energy storage and conversion. Here, we developed copper doped palladium metallene (Cu-doped Pd metallene) by reasonable and effective interface design for electrochemical detection of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and degrading 4-NP in presence of sodium borohydride. The synergistic interaction both the catalytic activity sites of copper and the high conductive properties of Pd metallene exhibited, transforming into an ideal candidate for the electrochemical detection and catalytic reduction of 4-NP. Inspired by these advantages, electrochemical detection of 4-NP was exhibited better analytical performance, which displayed the detection range from 10 to 1000 μM. In addition, the Cu-doped Pd metallene showed the best activity with k app  = 0.54 s −1 . Notably, the Cu-doped Pd metallene exhibited outstanding catalytic efficiency for the degradation of 4-NP that was three times greater than that of pure Pd metallene. Under the condition of high temperature and high concentration of salt, Cu-doped Pd metallene still maintained high catalytic activity. Those results indicated that Cu-doped Pd metallene exhibited superior catalytic activity, considerable stability, elevated turnover frequency, and improved green sustainability for the detection and degradation of 4-NP. This will be of immense importance to the realization of metallene toward potential high-value applications and the advancement of nanocatalyst research.