A rhodium–cobalt alloy bimetallene towards liquid C1 molecule electrooxidation in alkaline media

Abstract

Two-dimensional metallenes with ultrahigh surface area are highly active electrocatalysts in various sustainable energy devices. Meanwhile, rhodium (Rh) based nanomaterials are attracting increased attention in electrocatalysis, which show high intrinsic electroactivity for the oxidation reaction of liquid C1 molecules. Herein, we focus on the facile preparation of a Rh–Co alloy bimetallene (Rh–Co ABM) based on an interesting and simple self-template and self-reduction strategy. Relative to commercial Rh nanoparticles, Rh–Co ABM reveals sharply improved electroactivity and durability for the oxidation reactions of liquid C1 molecules due to its high electrochemically active area and particular alloy effect, as well as remarkable anti-poison capability. Density functional theory calculations also demonstrate that the bimetallene interface can dramatically reduce the chemisorption energy of CO intermediates, which significantly boosts the durability of Rh–Co ABM for the oxidation reaction of liquid C1 molecules. This work highlights Rh–Co ABM as a highly promising anodic electrocatalyst in direct liquid fuel cells.