Direct ethylene glycol fuel cells (DEGFCs) are a promising clean energy technology, but their performance is often limited by slow ethylene glycol oxidation due to difficult C–C bond cleavage and CO poisoning on conventional Pt catalysts.
In this work, we synthesized PtBi nanodendrites composed of ultrathin bimetallene subunits using a simple one-pot reduction method. The incorporation of Bi adjusts the electronic structure of Pt and increases the number of active sites, resulting in higher catalytic activity, improved stability, and strong resistance to CO poisoning in alkaline media. Experiments and theoretical calculations show that Bi-induced d–p orbital hybridization promotes electron transfer and facilitates C–C bond breaking, speeding up the oxidation reaction.
This study provides a practical approach to improving DEGFC performance through electronic structure design. The work entitled “Enhancing C–C bond cleavage in ethylene glycol electrooxidation via d–p orbital hybridization at PtBi nanodendrites with ultrathin bimetallene subunits” was published in Advanced Powder Materials (Available online on 30 December 2025).
DOI: 10.1016/j.apmate.2025.100392