Enhanced Stabilization and Effective Utilization of Atomic Hydrogen on Pd-In Nanoparticles in a Flow-through Electrode.

Surface-adsorbed active species are intermediates with strong activities in heterogenous catalytic reactions. Effective stabilization of these intermediates is crucial to improve catalytic performance. Here, we demonstrated highly active bimetallic palladium-indium (Pd-In) nanoparticles (NPs) that can stabilize atomic H* on the surface and show efficient electrocatalytic reduction performance toward bromate. The optimal atomic ratio of Pd to In was investigated with the aim of efficient formation and strong stabilization of H*, thus facilitating the reduction and decontamination of carcinogenic bromate. Pd2In3 was the most active catalyst, with a high rate constant of 0.029 min-1, whereas the rate constant for monometallic Pd NPs was only 0.009 min-1. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that Pd2In3 NPs decrease the work function and provide strong H* stabilization ability. By employing a flow-through electrode coated with Pd2In3 NPs to enhance the mass transport, the utilization of H* could be boosted and the reduction kinetics increased up to 7.5 times.