Ultrafine PdAgAu alloy nanowires for ethanol oxidation electrocatalysis

Alloying Pd with oxyphilic metals is an effective strategy to improve the activity and stability of electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Here, we synthesize trimetallic PdAgAu nanowires (PdAgAu NWs) via a rapid reduction strategy under the assistance of 4-aminopyridine, which have an average diameter of about 3 nm. The one-dimensional structure can provide a high surface area, excellent electrical conductivity and facilitated mass/charge transfer. Moreover, the addition of oxyphilic Au and Ag elements not only increases the catalytic active sites, but also optimizes the adsorption energy of intermediates. As such, PdAgAu NWs have higher mass activity (2.39 mA μg−1) and specific activity (5.5 mA cm−2) than Pd/C for the EOR in an alkaline environment, as well as better catalytic stability. The presented synthetic route is very powerful for the preparation of trimetallic alloy nanowires for electrocatalytic applications.