Size-Controllable PtPdRuRhCuMo High-Entropy Alloy Nanoparticles for Electrocatalytic Ethylene Glycol Oxidation

High-entropy alloy nanoparticles (HEA NPs) have emerged as a promising core material for designing efficient electrocatalysts, owing to their unique multi-element synergistic effects and structural stability. However, precise control over their morphology and composition remains challenging. In this study, well-dispersed and uniform PtPdRuRhCuMo HEA NPs were successfully synthesized via a facile solvothermal method, leveraging the distinct morphology-directing effects of CTAB and CTAC. The resulting catalysts, particularly the HEA-1 sample (using CTAB as the surfactant), exhibited exceptional electrocatalytic performance toward the alkaline ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR), achieving a mass activity of 2.4 A mg-1, which significantly surpasses that of commercial Pt/C (1.25 A mg-1). More importantly, the HEA-1 catalyst possesses excellent long-term cyclic stability, retaining 50% of its activity after 10 hours of continuous testing, attributed to the strong electronic interactions between the multi-metal components and the structural integrity of the nanoparticles. This work not only provides a new strategy for the precise control of HEA nanostructures but also advances their potential application in direct alcohol fuel cells and other energy conversion systems.

高熵合金纳米颗粒（High-entropy alloy nanoparticles, HEA NPs）已成为设计高效电催化剂的极具潜力的核心材料，这得益于其独特的多元素协同效应与结构稳定性。然而，精准调控其形貌与组分仍颇具挑战。本研究通过简便的溶剂热法，借助十六烷基三甲基溴化铵（cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB）与十六烷基三甲基氯化铵（cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, CTAC）独特的形貌调控作用，成功合成了分散性良好、尺寸均一的PtPdRuRhCuMo高熵合金纳米颗粒。所制备的催化剂，尤其是以CTAB为表面活性剂的HEA-1样品，在碱性乙二醇氧化反应（alkaline ethylene glycol oxidation reaction, EGOR）中展现出优异的电催化性能：其质量活性可达2.4 A·mg⁻¹，显著优于商用Pt/C催化剂的1.25 A·mg⁻¹。更为关键的是，HEA-1催化剂具备出色的长期循环稳定性，在连续10小时的测试后仍保留50%的初始活性，这归因于多金属组分间强烈的电子相互作用以及纳米颗粒的结构完整性。本研究不仅为高熵合金纳米结构的精准调控提供了全新策略，同时也推动了其在直接醇类燃料电池及其他能源转换系统中的潜在应用。