Highly electronegative PtAu alloy for simultaneous hydrogen generation and ethanol upgrading

Simultaneous electrochemical synthesis of high-value-added chemicals and hydrogen is a promising technology for efficient carbon utilization and renewable energy storage. However, the lack of rational guidance for designing efficient catalysts for electrosynthesis significantly hinders its development. A new technology of simultaneous generation of hydrogen and upgrading of ethanol by using catalysts based on PtAu nanoparticles (NPs) was reported. At a current density of 10 mA·cm −2 , the cell using PtAu nanoparticles had a low onset potential of 0.67 V, much lower than those of PtIr NPs (0.85 V) and commercial platinum on carbon catalyst (Pt/C) (0.92 V). PtAu NPs also possessed higher Faraday efficiencies of 79% for ethyl acetate production and 95% for hydrogen evolution than PtIr NPs and Pt/C. In addition, the cell based on PtAu NPs exhibited no obvious degradation of performance after a current-time stability test for 1000 s. Further study revealed that the introduction of highly electronegative Au into Pt-based nanomaterials could facilitate the activation of ethanol. This work can benefit the rational design of catalysts with enhanced selectivity of electrosynthesis. Graphical abstract