One-Pot Synthesis of Pd0.5-Au1.5/MXene Ti3C2Tx Nanocomposite with High Electrocatalytic Activity for Electrooxidation of Alcohols

Composites not only maintain the advantages of each component, but also achieve synergistic effects by complementing and combining the properties of each component, which cannot be achieved by a single component. In this work, Pdx-Auy/MXene (Ti3C2Tx) nanocomposites were prepared facilely by a one-pot method, and their composite structure was optimized. The molar ratio of the metal precursor (Pd2+/Au3+) plays a key role in the formation of the Pd-Au nanostructure. Electrocatalytic experiments demonstrate that the optimal Pd0.5-Au1.5/MXene sample possesses superior electrocatalytic activity and stability towards the oxidation reaction of alcohols in alkaline medium. Specifically, the Pd0.5-Au1.5/MXene shows oxidation peak current density of 63.1 mA mg−1metal, 72.5 mA mg−1metal and 189.1 mA mg−1metal for methanol, ethanol, and ethylene glycol, respectively, being 2.8, 2.1, and 1.2 times higher than those of the commercial Pd/C catalyst. The enhanced electrocatalytic performance of the Pd0.5-Au1.5/MXene catalyst can be ascribed to the high dispersity of Pd0.5-Au1.5 nanoparticles and the synergistic effect between the metal nanoparticles and MXene. This work may be helpful for the fundamental study of noble-metal-based electrocatalysts for direct alcohol fuel cells.