Synthesis of Palladium‐Based Crystalline@Amorphous Core–Shell Nanoplates for Highly Efficient Ethanol Oxidation

Abstract Phase engineering of nanomaterials (PEN) offers a promising route to rationally tune the physicochemical properties of nanomaterials and further enhance their performance in various applications. However, it remains a great challenge to construct well‐defined crystalline@amorphous core–shell heterostructured nanomaterials with the same chemical components. Herein, the synthesis of binary (Pd‐P) crystalline@amorphous heterostructured nanoplates using Cu 3− χ P nanoplates as templates, via cation exchange, is reported. The obtained nanoplate possesses a crystalline core and an amorphous shell with the same elemental components, referred to as c ‐Pd‐P@ a ‐Pd‐P. Moreover, the obtained c ‐Pd‐P@ a ‐Pd‐P nanoplates can serve as templates to be further alloyed with Ni, forming ternary (Pd‐Ni‐P) crystalline@amorphous heterostructured nanoplates, referred to as c ‐Pd‐Ni‐P@ a ‐Pd‐Ni‐P. The atomic content of Ni in the c ‐Pd‐Ni‐P@ a ‐Pd‐Ni‐P nanoplates can be tuned in the range from 9.47 to 38.61 at%. When used as a catalyst, the c ‐Pd‐Ni‐P@ a ‐Pd‐Ni‐P nanoplates with 9.47 at% Ni exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity toward ethanol oxidation, showing a high mass current density up to 3.05 A mg Pd −1 , which is 4.5 times that of the commercial Pd/C catalyst (0.68 A mg Pd −1 ).