Pd Metallene Aerogels with Single-Atom W Doping for Selective Ethanol Oxidation.

The development of advanced electrocatalysts with satisfactory C1 pathway selectivity for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) is critical. Herein, a bubbling CO-induced gelation method is developed in acetic acid at 50 °C to construct single-atom W-doped Pd metallene aerogels (denoted as SA W-Pd MAs) within 1 h. In light of the metallene structural advantages of noble metal aerogels and single-atom W decoration, the resultant SA W-Pd MAs exhibit an outstanding EOR performance with high C1 pathway selectivity. Density functional theory calculations validate that the SA W-Pd MAs greatly improve the formation of the CH 3 O intermediate and the transformation of poisonous CO species to CO 2 , thus resulting in high C1 pathway selectivity. Therefore, this work not only offers an effective gelation method to fabricate noble metal aerogels with atomic-scale building blocks but also presents guidance to develop high-efficiency EOR electrocatalysts.