Porous PdZn bimetallene for oxygen reduction electrolysis

Two-dimensional (2D) Pd-based materials have been extensively researched as a cathode for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to its distinctive physicochemical characteristics. In this paper, we report the controllable construction of porous wrinkled PdZn bimetallene (PdZn BMene) with the lattice distortions and grain boundaries via a one-step hydrothermal approach. Benefiting from the curved 2D metallene morphology, more sufficient and exposed active sites, and synergistic effect of alloy components, the resultant PdZn BMene exhibits outstanding ORR performance in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte, with the mass activity of 1.11 mA μgPd−1, which is 1.6, 6.4, and 21.6 times higher than those of Pd metallene (0.43 mA μgPd−1), commercial Pt/C (0.15 mA μgPd−1), and Pd/C (0.049 mA μgPd−1), respectively. Moreover, PdZn BMene also possesses commendable durability, with only 7.2% activity loss after 30,000 potential cycles and a 5.3% attenuation of current density after 10-h durability test. Meanwhile, the assembled zinc-air battery with PdZn BMene as cathode catalyst possess an open-circuit voltage of 1.5 V and a maximum power density of 108.7 mW cm−2 along with benign durability. The present study highlights the advances of 2D Pd-based alloy bimetallene for realizing high-performance against the ORR application.