Carbon Layer-Enhanced Electronic Interaction of Pd-SnO₂ Hybrid Catalyst with High Performance in DAFC

Direct alcohol fuel cell technology (DAFC) has gained significant interest recently as it is a green energy technology 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 are identified to have a synergistic effect. The as-prepared Pd-(SnO2@C)/C catalyst showed remarkable activity and stability for EOR and MOR in alkaline media. It also had an encouraging performance in a polymer fiber membrane-based alkaline DAFC, where a NiCo2O4 catalyst was used for the oxygen cathode. Combined with the theoretical analysis and the experimental research results, this study reveals that the electronic interaction is the dominant mechanism in the synergistic effect, which provides theoretical guidance and technical support for the preparation of the next generation of high catalytic activity and high stability anode catalysts of DAFC.