Twinning Strain‐Induced Pathway Switching on PtPdRuFe Nanoflowers Enables Efficient Formic Acid Oxidation

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Authors: Jiale Wan, Yi Tang, Linping Hu, Wei Li, Wensheng Fu, Yuxuan Wang, Mengjun Xiao, Wendong Zhang, Peng Chen, Liyu Jiang, Wei Huang, Yao Nie
Cited by: 4
References: 40

Abstract

ABSTRACT Challenges in regulating formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) pathways have primarily compromised the output performance of direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs). Herein, we leverage twin boundaries (TBs) engineering in PtPdRuFe nanoflowers (NFs) to deliberately steer the FAOR predominantly along the non‐CO dehydrogenation pathway. The introduced TBs induce localized tensile strain, effectively modulating the d ‐orbital electronic structure across all constituent metals, which is crucial for redirecting the formation of transition‐state intermediates. Specifically, a stronger adsorption affinity for HCOO * over COOH * on Pt and Fe sites is achieved, which reverses the situation that on the non‐twin PtPdRuFe counterpart and thereby preferentially prompts FAOR via a desirable dehydrogenation pathway. Concurrently, the conversion of CO * is also accelerated due to the enhanced adsorption of OH * on Ru/Fe sites, further eliminating the poisoning and deactivation issues induced by CO * . Profiting by these synergistic enhancements, the as‐fabricated twin‐PtPdRuFe NFs demonstrate markedly improved catalytic activity and durability, outperforming the non‐twin counterpart and benchmark Pt/C, enabling them to be among one of the best‐performing acid‐stable FAOR catalysts.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Carbon dioxide utilization in catalysis Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion Asymmetric Hydrogenation and Catalysis

Publication details

Journal / source
Advanced Materials
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
38
Issue
14
Pages
e23390–e23390
Publication date
1 February 2026
Language
EN