Two-dimensional Pd-nanosheets as efficient electrocatalysts for ethanol electrooxidation. Evidences of the CC scission at low potentials

Abstract Pd-nanosheets with a lateral size of ca. 5 nm have been prepared by a simple chemical method. The Pd-nanosheets obtained exhibited a 2D morphology in which Pd atoms are preferentially exposed at the surface of the particles. In addition, a preferential exposure of Pd atoms in 111 planes is observed. As a result, the Pd-nanosheets exhibit a very high catalytic activity for the electrooxidation of ethanol in alkaline electrolyte, superior to that of commercial nanosized Pd particles. In situ infrared studies conducted during the electrooxidation of ethanol reveal that the scission of the C C bond of ethanol takes place at the surface of Pd-nanosheets at low potentials (as low as 30 mV). However, at higher potentials, the formation of partially oxidized species, typically acetates, is the preferred reaction pathway.