Partially Oxidized Palladium Nanodots for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction

Abstract Here we report a partially oxidized palladium nanodot (Pd/PdO x ) catalyst with a diameter of around 4.5 nm. In aqueous CO 2 ‐saturated 0.5 m KHCO 3 , the catalyst displays a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 90 % at −0.55 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) for carbon monoxide (CO) production, and the activity can be retained for at least 24 h. The improved catalytic activity can be attributed to the strong adsorption of CO 2 .− intermediate on the Pd/PdO x electrode, wherein the presence of Pd 2+ during the electroreduction reaction of CO 2 may play an important role in accelerating the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). This study explores the catalytic mechanism of a partially oxidized nanostructured Pd electrocatalyst and provides new opportunities for improving the CO 2 RR performance of metal systems.