Activating Pd by Morphology Tailoring for Oxygen Reduction

Pd has been the focus of recent research for Pt-alternative catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). It has been found that upon appropriate modification of its electronic structure, the catalytic activity of Pd can become comparable to that of Pt. However, the structure-activity relationships of Pd catalysts have hitherto not been well studied or understood. In the present work, we report a new finding that there is a strong dependence of the activity of Pd toward the ORR on its morphology. By simply adjusting the precursor concentration in the electrochemical deposition of Pd, we are able to tailor the morphology of the deposited Pd from nanoparticles to nanorods. Surprisingly, the surface-specific activity of Pd nanorods (Pd-NRs) toward the ORR was found to be not only 10-fold higher than that of Pd nanoparticles (Pd-NPs), the conventional shape of electrocatalysts, but also comparable to that of Pt at operating potentials of fuel cell cathodes. The morphology-activity relationships of Pd-NRs were further studied through a combination of electrochemical experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. As revealed by its characteristic profile for CO stripping, the morphology of Pd-NRs features the exposure of Pd(110) facets, which exhibit superior ORR activity. The underlying mechanism, indicated by DFT calculations, could be ascribed to the exceptionally weak interaction between an O adatom and a Pd(110) facet. This finding furthers our understanding of Pd catalysis and casts a new light on the relevant catalyst design criteria.