One-pot synthesis of PdPtAg porous nanospheres with enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward polyalcohol electrooxidation

Porous nanospheres (PNSs) have great development prospects in the electrocatalysis field because of their structural characteristics, such as a large specific surface area. However, it is still a challenge to find a simple and energy-saving method for the controllable synthesis of PNS nanocatalysts. In this paper, a one-pot CTAC-assisted strategy was developed for the successful formation of PdPtAg PNSs with high porosity at room temperature. Benefitting from the unique structures, optimized composition, acceleration of charge transfer and enhanced resistance to CO poisoning, the PdPtAg PNSs displayed considerably improved electrocatalytic performance with high mass activity and stability toward the ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) and glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR). The EGOR and GOR mass activities of PdPtAg were 5.00 A mgmetal-1 and 3.06 A mgmetal-1, which are 6.22 and 1.91 times that of commercial Pd/C, respectively. This work is expected to offer a new path for improving catalytic performance by simple design and adjustment of morphology.