In Situ Exfoliation and Pt Deposition of Antimonene for Formic Acid Oxidation via a Predominant Dehydrogenation Pathway

Direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC) has been considered as a promising energy conversion device for stationary and mobile applications. Advanced platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts for formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) are critical for DFAFC. However, the oxidation of formic acid on Pt catalysts often occurs via a dual pathway mechanism, which hinders the catalytic activity owing to the CO poisoning. Herein, we directly exfoliate bulk antimony to 2D antimonene (Sb) and in situ load Pt nanoparticles onto antimonene sheets with the assistance of ethylenediamine. According to the Bader charge analysis, the charge transfer from antimonene to Pt occurs, confirming the electronic interaction between Pt and Sb. Interestingly, antimonene, as a cocatalyst, alters the oxidation pathway for FAOR over Pt catalyst and makes FAOR follow the more efficient dehydrogenation pathway. The density functional theory (DFT) calculation demonstrates that antimonene can activate Pt to be a lower oxidative state and facilitate the oxidation of HCOOH into CO(2) via a direct pathway, resulting in a weakened intermediate binding strength and better CO tolerance for FAOR. The specific activity of FAOR on Pt/Sb is 4.5 times, and the mass activity is 2.6 times higher than the conventional Pt/C.