Carbon layer-enhanced electronic interaction of Pd-SnO2 hybrid catalyst with high-performance in DAFC

Direct alcohol fuel cell (DAFC) has gained significant interest recently as it is one of the green energy technologies with a low/zero pollution emission. Nevertheless, the sluggish kinetics of the electrocatalysis process and the high-cost of anode catalysts still impede the wide application of DAFC. Moreover, the limited understanding of the reaction mechanism restrains the development of anode catalysts. Here, we have prepared a Pd-(SnO2@C)/C catalyst and highlighted a strategy to demonstrate the effects of active oxygen-contained species and electronic interaction, which identified as synergistic effect. As prepared Pd-(SnO2@C)/C catalyst showed remarkable activity and stability for EOR and MOR in alkaline media. And it also had the encouraging performance in a polymer fiber membrane-based alkaline DAFC, when a NiCo2O4 catalyst was used for the oxygen cathode. Combined with the theoretical analysis and the experimental research results, it reveals that the electronic interaction is the dominant mechan...