Polyphosphide anion-mediated simultaneous P, Au co-alloying with Pd for anti-poisoning formic acid oxidation.

An innovative polyphosphide route is developed to synthesize a series of P-doped PdAu ternary alloys. The alloying of P and Au optimizes the electronic structure and reduces the back-donation of d electrons to CO. Meanwhile, the generation of CO is largely inhibited by the highly selective direct pathway arising from the synergistic electron/ligand effect of Au and P, leading to a remarkable anti-poisoning capability for formic acid oxidation.