Joule-heating synthesis of Pd/C catalysts with excellent electrocatalytic performance

Developing high-performance electrocatalysts is essential for the commercialization of fuel cells, but commercial catalysts are still far from satisfactory in terms of their catalytic activity and stability. Herein, we report a convenient solid-phase synthesis strategy that couples ball milling with rapid Joule-heating to prepare fine palladium nanoparticles supported on a carbon substrate (Pd/C). Compared to the commercial Pd/C catalyst, the as-synthesized Pd/C catalyst shows excellent catalytic performance for typical electrochemical reactions, <i>e.g.</i>, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and the formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR). We emphasize the multi-dimensional comparison of the obtained Pd/C product and commercial catalysts to illustrate the potential advantages of the synthesis method in industrial applications.