Au enables PdAu aerogel efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction and C2 alcohol oxidation

Metallic aerogels (MAs) with self-supporting three-dimensional (3D) porous structures constitute a potential platform for the construction of robust catalysts. In this work, we successfully constructed 3D PdAu MAs with the optimized d-band electron of Pd and geometrical lattice expansion using a maneuverable in-situ seed-mediated strategy at room temperature . The introduction of Au accelerated the kinetics of Pd 4 Au 3 MAs toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR), and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) in alkaline electrolyte , boosting the activity and stability of Pd 4 Au 3 MAs. The mass activities of Pd 4 Au 3 MAs/C in ORR, EGOR and EOR were 1.74, 8.57, and 9.54 A mg Pd −1 , respectively, which were remarkably better than those of referenced Pd MAs/C, commercial Pt/C and Pd/C. The rotating ring-disk electrode measurement illustrated that Pd 4 Au 3 MAs/C achieved a 4-electron transfer process in ORR from O 2 to OH − . In-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that Pd 4 Au 3 MAs/C enabled the cleavage of the C–C bonds, thus accomplishing the C1-complete oxidation of 10-electron ethylene glycol and 12-electron ethanol. This study provides an efficient strategy to fabricate binary non-Pt alloy aerogels as high-performance multifunctional electrocatalysts for ORR, EGOR, and EOR.