Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Preparation And Electrocatalytic Performance Of Nico2O4/Ni Foam For Hydrogen Peroxide Electrooxidation, Wei-Wei Chen, Fei-Fan Zhang, Jia-Liang Du, Yi Wang, Chun-Lin Zhao, Kai Zhu, Dian-Xue Cao, Gui-Ling Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrodes of Ni foam supported NiCo₂O₄ nanowires were prepared by hydrothermal method, followed by a thermal treatment in air, and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the NiCo₂O₄ nanowires had a diameter of about 50 nm with a length up to 3 ~ 5 μm. The catalytic performances of the Ni foam supported NiCo₂O₄ nanowires for H₂O₂ electrooxidation were studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results show that the Ni foam supported NiCo …

Carbon Oxidation At The Atomic Level: A Computational Study On Oxidative Graphene Etching And Pitting Of Graphitic Carbon Surfaces, Simon Schmitt

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

In order to understand the oxidation of solid carbon materials by oxygen-containing gases, carbon oxidation has to be studied on the atomic level where the surface reactions occur. Graphene and graphite are etched by oxygen to form characteristic pits that are scattered across the material surface, and pitting in turn leads to microstructural changes that determine the macroscopic oxidation behavior. While this is a well-documented phenomenon, it is heretofore poorly understood due to the notorious difficulty of experiments and a lack of comprehensive computational studies. The main objective of the present work is the development of a computational framework from …

Gravity-Drawing Flexible Silicone Filaments As Fiber Optics And Model Foldamers, Katherine Snell

CMC Senior Theses

Here, we present a method of gravity-drawing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone fibers with application as fiber optics and as model foldamers. Beginning as a viscous liquid, PDMS is cured using heat until its measured viscosity reaches 4000 mPa•s. The semi-cured elastomer is then extruded through a tube furnace to produce thin (diameters on the order of hundred micrometers) filaments with scalable lengths. PDMS is biocompatible, gas-permeable, flexible, and hydrophobic. Additionally, the PDMS surface hydrophobicity can be modified via UV exposure, O2 plasma, and corona discharge. We demonstrate the patternibility (i.e patterns of hydrophobicity) of PDMS fibers, adding complexity to potential foldamer …

Synthesis Of Graphene Using Plasma Etching And Atmospheric Pressure Annealing: Process And Sensor Development, Andrew Robert Graves

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Having been theorized in 1947, it was not until 2004 that graphene was first isolated. In the years since its isolation, graphene has been the subject of intense, world-wide study due to its incredibly diverse array of useful properties. Even though many billions of dollars have been spent on its development, graphene has yet to break out of the laboratory and penetrate mainstream industrial applications markets. This is because graphene faces a ‘grand challenge.’ Simply put, there is currently no method of manufacturing high-quality graphene on the industrial scale. This grand challenge looms particularly large for electronic applications where the …

Redox-Active Porous Organic Materials For Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications, K. Shamara Weeraratne

Theses and Dissertations

As the demand for renewable energy technologies grows, so does the need for cheaper, more efficient rechargeable batteries to store the energy. While lithium-ion battery (LIBs) technology is well established, it suffers from limited lithium supplies. Furthermore, the highly toxic transition metals used in the electrodes places a huge burden on the environment. Therefore, replacing lithium with more economical sodium metal in rechargeable batteries (i.e. sodium-ion batteries, SIBs) has garnered considerable attention. Despite the fact that sodium and lithium share similar electrochemical properties, which may cause the transition from lithium to sodium easier, the larger ionic radius of Na^{+ …}

Structure, Morphology And Composition-Property Elucidation Of Ni–Mo And Ni−Mo−P Nanocrystals For Water Splitting Reactions And Group Iv Alloy And Silicate Nanocrystals For Visible To Near Ir Optoelectronics, Ebtesam Hassan Abuelenein Eladgham

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Structure, Morphology and Composition-Property Elucidation of Ni–Mo and Ni−Mo−P Nanocrystals for Water Splitting Reactions and Group IV Alloy and Silicate Nanocrystals for Visible to Near IR Optoelectronics

by

Ebtesam Hassan Abuelenein Eladgham

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Advisor: Indika U Arachchige

Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry

Nanomaterials have gained a great attention because of their unique physical properties with size intermediate between molecular materials and extended solids. They have a large surface to volume ratio and display size tunable physical properties that was not …

Effects Of Hole Transporting Layers And Surface Ligands On Interface Energetics And Photovoltaic Performance Of Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskites, So Min Park

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Organic metal halide perovskites are promising materials for various optoelectronic device applications such as light emitting diodes (LED) and photovoltaic (PV) cells. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have shown dramatic increases in power conversion efficiency over the previous ten years, far exceeding the rate of improvement of all other PV technologies. PSCs have attracted significant attention due to their strong absorbance throughout the visible region, high charge carrier mobilities, color tunability, and ability to make ultralight weight devices. However, organic metal halide perovskites still face several challenges. For example, their environmental stability issue must be overcome to enable widespread commercialization. Meeting …

Synthesis Of Metal Oxide Surface And Interface Arrays By A Combined Solid-Liquid- Vapor/Vapor-Liquid-Solid Approach, Alexandra J. Riddle

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

This project was motivated by an in situ heating experiment in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) in which gold (Au) nanoparticles were observed to dissolve tin dioxide (SnO2) nanowires (NWs) under vacuum. The explanation for this observation was that the high-temperature and low-pressure environment of the TEM caused the reverse reaction of the well-known vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) method commonly used to grow NWs. In the VLS process, a metal catalyst absorbs reactant vapor until it becomes supersaturated. The precipitation of the NW occurs at the liquid-solid interface, which ceases when there is no longer reactant vapor, and the diameter of the …

Interfaces In Lead-Free Tin Perovskite Photovoltaics: An Investigation Of Energetics, Ion Mobility, Surface Modification, And Performance, Alex Boehm

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Halide perovskites have generated tremendous interest as low-cost semiconductors for optoelectronics, such as photovoltaics, lasers, and light emitting diodes due to their extraordinary optical and transport properties. Perovskite photovoltaics in particular have demonstrated a meteoric rise in power conversion efficiencies and drawn considerable interest as a next-generation solar energy technology. The rapid development has centered around lead-based derivatives, and concerns regarding the toxicity of lead has sparked interest in low toxicity and more environmentally friendly perovskite derivatives. In this regime tin (Sn) is regarded as a prominent alternative owing to the ideal bandgap and reduced toxicity exhibited by Sn-halide perovskites. …

The Fabrication And Properties Of Magnetorheological Elastomers Employing Bio-Inspired Dopamine Modified Carbonyl Iron Particles, Yanfen Zhou, Lele Li, Wenyue Li, Shipeng Wen, Liang Jiang, Stephen Jerrams, Jianwei Ma, Shaojuan Chen

Articles

To obtain magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) with improved mechanical properties and exhibiting an enhanced magnetorheological (MR) effect, bio-inspired dopamine modification has been used to improve the functionality at the surface of carbonyl iron (CI) particles. Various techniques including x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to confirm that a polydopamine (PDA) layer of about 27.5 nm had been successfully deposited on the surface of the carbonyl iron particles prior to their inclusion in the MRE composites. The magnetic properties of PDA modified CI particles were shown to be almost the same as those …

Enhanced Covalent Interface, Crosslinked Network And Gas Barrier Property Of Functionalized Graphene Oxide/Styrene-Butadiene Rubber Composites Triggered By Thiol-Ene Click Reaction, Long Zheng, Stephen Jerrams, Tian Su, Zongchao Xu, Liqun Zhang, Li Liu, Shipeng Wen

Articles

The high gas barrier property of a rubber composite is of great significance for reducing the exhaust gas emissions due to tire rolling resistance and hence the contribution this factor makes to environmental protection. Enhanced covalent interfaces and crosslinked networks are crucial to the gas barrier property of rubber composites. In this research, γ-mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane (MPS) modified GO (MGO)/styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) composites were prepared by a synergetic strategy of latex compounding method and thiol-ene click reaction. It was found that the mercapto groups in MGO reacted with the vinyl groups in SBR molecules through thiol-ene click reaction during the crosslinking process …

Observation Of Reduced Thermal Conductivity In A Metal-Organic Framework Due To The Presence Of Adsorbates, Hasan Babaei, Mallory E. Decoster, Minyoung Jeong, Zeinab M. Hassan, Timur Islamoglu, Helmut Baumgart, Alan J.H. Mcgaughey, Engelbert Redel, Omar K. Farha, Patrick E. Hopkins, Jonathan A. Malen, Christopher E. Wilmer

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Whether the presence of adsorbates increases or decreases thermal conductivity in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been an open question. Here we report observations of thermal transport in the metal-organic framework HKUST-1 in the presence of various liquid adsorbates: water, methanol, and ethanol. Experimental thermoreflectance measurements were performed on single crystals and thin films, and theoretical predictions were made using molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the thermal conductivity of HKUST-1 decreases by 40 – 80% depending on the adsorbate, a result that cannot be explained by effective medium approximations. Our findings demonstrate that adsorbates introduce additional phonon scattering in HKUST-1, …

Morphology Controlled Preparations And Electrochemical Properties Of Znco2O4 Electrode Materials For Supercapacitors, Yue-Shen Zhou, Meng Li, Shuang Wu, Zhao-Lei Li, Yan-Min Gao

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this work, hydrothermal reaction and high temperature were used to grow ZnCo₂O₄ active materials on Ni foam. The crystal stuctures and surface morphlogies of four samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical performances were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) testing and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) on an electrochemical station. It can be seen that active materials tended to form denser stuctures with an increasing amount of NH₄F in the solution system and four different morphologies of ZnCo_{2 …}

Electrochemical Behaviors Of Azopurine On Gold Electrodes, Ming-Xue Li, Hang Shi, Jia Liu, Meng Zhang, Jian-Zhang Zhou, De-Yin Wu, Zhong-Qun Tian

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper, we studied the electrochemical behaviors of azopurine on polished gold electrodes with cyclic voltammetry (CV). On the basis of analyzing scan rate and peak current, it was supposed that the redox process belonged to a reversible process controlled by adsorption in 0.2 mol·L^-1 PBS (pH = 4.0 ~ 10.0) solutions. The potentials of redox peaks moved more negatively with increasing pH value. This proved that the H⁺ proton has participcted in the electrochemical reaction. The further data analysis and the calculation of surface adsorption excess demonstrated that the reaction was a two-proton and two-electron process. …

Polyaniline Coated Hollow Sulfur Prepared Using Sublimate 2,4,6-Tri(Propan-2-Yl)-1,3,5-Trioxane As Template For Sulfur Electrode, Zhang-Feng Li, Xiao-Rui Wang, Wen-Sheng Tian, Jin-Ze Yang, Ping Zhang, Li-Ping Ma, Yang Chen, Xiao-Li Cui, Zhi-Yu Jiang

Journal of Electrochemistry

An advance method for preparing polyaniline-coated hollow sulfur material using sublimate material ADD(2,4,6-tri(propan-2-yl)-1,3,5-trioxane) as a template was developed for lithium-sulfur battery. At first, the smashed ADD particles were coated by a sulfur layer through the reaction of Na₂S₂O₃ with diluted HCl. Then polyaniline layer was coated again on the surface of sulfur layer through the reaction of aniline with (NH₄)₂S₂O₈. After being dried at 60 ^oC for 12 h, the ADD in such a composite evaporated totally, and resulted in the formation of polyaniline-coated hollow sulfur …

Transient Electrochemical Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Study In Electrochemical Reduction Of P-Nitrothiophenol, Yun Ling, Jing Tang, Guo-Kun Liu, Cheng Zong

Journal of Electrochemistry

P-nitrothiophenol (PNTP) is one of the most common probe molecules studied by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The research in electrochemical reduction behavior of PNTP will help understanding the mechanism for the nitrobenzene reduction. In this paper, we used transient electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TEC-SERS) to study the SERS of PNTP with cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry on gold electrodes. The results show that the TEC-SERS provide a time resolution that equals the transient electrochemical methods, and we concluded that the reaction was so quick that we did not observe the spectral information of intermediate species described in the literatures with a …

Zif-67-Derived Ag/Co-Embedded N-Enriched Mesoporous Carbon For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Zheng-Ling Di, Jing Zhu, Lei Dai, Wei Meng, Yue-Hua Li, Zhang-Xing He, Ling Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon materials are considered as one of the most promising catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, in order to further improve the activity of the nitrogen-doped porous carbon, Ag/Co bimetal is embedded into nitrogendoped porous carbon to form Ag/Co-embedded nitrogen-doped porous carbon material (AgCo@NC). The AgCo@NC was derived by the wet impregnation of Ag+ into ZIF-67 precursor, followed by chemical reduction and a subsequent pyrolysis process under Ar atmosphere at different temperatures (500 ℃, 600 ℃, 700 ℃). The morphologic characterization shows that the Ag/Co nanoparticles were successfully embedded in the mesoporous carbon framework with abundant nitrogen …

Quantitative Detection Of Levofloxacin Hydrochloride By Differential Pulse Stripping Voltammetry With Electrodeposited Bismuth Film Electrodes, Zi-Ying Guo, Zuo-Peng Li, Jiang Li, Jian-Guo Zhao, Feng Feng

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this study, differential pulse stripping voltammetry was developed for the quantitative detection of levofloxacin hydrochloride indirectly. Levofloxacin hydrochloride contains organic amine, which can be precipitated upon interaction with Zn(SCN)₄^2-. By means of differential pulse stripping voltammetry, the concentration of Zn²⁺ can be determined using an in-situ formed bismuth film electrode, which allows determining indirectly the amount of levofloxacine hydrochloride. The linearity equation, I = 1.1401c - 0.5309 with the correlative coefficient R = 0.9979, was presented in the experiment. The results showed that this approach is very sensitive, having a limitation of detection of 3.18 …

Ionic Liquid Assisted Synthesis Of Porous Carbons From Rice Husk For Supercapacitors, Han-Fang Zhang, Feng Wei, Jian Sun, Meng-Ying Jing, Xiao-Jun He

Journal of Electrochemistry

It is still a challenge to prepare carbon materials with high specific surface area at low cost from renewable resources. Herein, the authors report an efficient approach to synthesize porous carbons (PCs) from rice husk with ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF₆)) as a template and an activation agent. The as-made PCs featured the high specific surface area up to 1438 m²·g^-1. As electrodes for supercapacitors, PCs showed a high specific capacitance of 256 F·g^-1 at 0.05 A·g^-1 in 6 mol·L^-1 KOH aqueous electrolyte and a good rate performance of 211 F·g …

Study On Electro-Sorption Of Heavy Metals And Sulfamethoxazole On Activated Carbon Fibers, Wen-Jun Zhao, Bing-Xin Jia, Ya-Nan Zhang, Jiu-Nian Guan, Jiao Qu, Ying Lu

Journal of Electrochemistry

To study the optimal removal condition, adsorption mechanism and comparative analysis of the three typical cationic pollutants, i.e., Zn(II), anionic pollutant Cr(VI) and molecular pollutant sulfamethoxazole (SMX), using self-made upflowed electro-sorption device for adsorptions of above three pollutants by modified activated carbon fiber were researched. The activated carbon fiber (ACF) was modified by hydrochloric acid. The ACF morphology and structure before and after modification were characterized by SEM, BET and FTIR. The characterization results show that the modified ACF had fewer surface impurities than the modified surface and the gully is more obvious, the specific surface area was increased by …

Electrochemical Cycling Stability Of Polyaniline Films In Different Color Ranges, Kun Xu, Kai-Ling Zhou, Hao Wang, Jing-Bing Liu, Hui Yan

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochromic behaviors of polyaniline films were investigated by potential step and cyclic voltammetry coupled with UV viscosity photometer. The polyaniline films show colorful changes from pale yellow to green and then to blue. Electrochromic stability, electrochemical behavior, coloring performance, optical properties and surface formations of the produced films were studied in detail. The working electrode was the flexible PANI electrode, and the counter electrode and the reference electrode were a platinum sheet and Ag/AgCl, respectively. The in situ optical transmittance of the PANI film at 650 nm was measured using an ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectrophotometer (Shimadzu UV-3101PC) combining with a square …

Electrochemical Determination Of Trace Copper Ions In Drinking Water Source, Jing-Ji Peng, Hong Zheng, Yi-Song Zou, Guo-Kun Liu, Dong-Xing Yuan

Journal of Electrochemistry

Aiming at the on-site and quick safety evaluation of the dissolved trace copper ions (Cu²⁺) in drinking water source, an electrochemical detection platform was developed on the basis of the square wave anodic stripping voltammetry using the gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) modified glassy carbon electrode, where Au NPs were deposited via electrochemical cyclic voltammetry. The proposed method displayed the limit of detection as low as 1.3 μg·L^-1 in the linear range of 2 ~ 50 μg·L^-1. The proposed method was applied to the determination of Cu²⁺ in the midstream of Minjiang River, one of …

Bipolar-Membrane Electrodialysis Method To Treat Industrial High Saline Perfume Wastewater, Jian Zhang, Dong-Fang Niu, Shuo-Zhen Hu, Xin-Sheng Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Large amount of organic saline wastewater is generated from various chemical industries. The contents of organic saline wastewater are more and more complicated as they are created from different types of industries. Directly discharging the organic saline wastewater without pre-treatment can generate severe environmental problem and waste useful resources. It is necessary to use an economical method to treat the organic saline wastewater and recover the salt into useful materials to achieve resource reuse. Bipolar-membrane electrodialysis (BMED) is one of the methods that can remove salt from the wastewater and convert it into certain acid and base with higher value …

Electrochemical Properties Of Sulfur In Different Carbon Support Materials, Bo Zhang, Jia Liu, Xiao-Chen Liu, De-Jun Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

In order to investigate the effect of carbon structure on electrochemical performance of sulfur/carbon composite in lithium-sulfur battery, in this paper, sublimation sulfur was incorporated into three types of carbon materials, namely, graphene, carbon black and porous carbon. The three sulfur/carbon composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques, and their electrochemical performances were also studied. The results showed that the sulfur/porous carbon composite offered an initial discharge capacity of 1623.2 mA·h·g^-1 and remained 845 mA·h·g^-1 after 100 cycles. Compared with graphene and carbon black, the mesopores and micropores in porous …

Electrochemical Sensor Based On Magnetic Electrode Modified With Magnetic Molecularly Imprinted Nanoparticles Immobilized Hemoglobin For Determination Of Hydrogen Peroxide, Yang Yuan, Jia-Xin Wang, Yu-Hua Cao

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this work, the surface-imprinted technique was used to prepare magnetic hemoglobin (Hb) imprinted nanoparticles, using Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ NPs as the carrier, Hb as the template molecule, and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the imprinted polymer monomer. The nanoparticles had a core-shell structure, with magnetic Fe₃O₄ NPs as the core and Hb imprinted polymers as the shell. Therefore, Hb could be concentrated and fixed on the surface of the magnetic imprinted nanoparticles (MMIPs NPs). Furthermore, MMIPs NPs were immobilized with chitosan (CS) on the surface of a magnetic electrode to constitute Hb enzyme-like biosensor …

Study Of Amorphous Boron Carbide And Hydrogenated Boron Carbide Materials Using Molecular Dynamics And Hybrid Reverse Monte Carlo, Rajan Khadka

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

We present a computational study of amorphous boron carbide (a-B_xC) models using Molecular Dynamics (MD) studied with Stillinger-Weber (SW) and ReaxFF potential. The atomic structure factor (S(Q)), radial distribution function (RDF) and bond lengths comparison with other experimental and ab initio models shows that a random arrangement of icosahedra (B₁₂, B₁₁C) interconnected by chains (CCC, CBC) are present in a-B_xC. Afterward, Hybrid Reverse Monte Carlo (HRMC) technique is used to recreate a-B_xC structures. The existing SW potential parameters of Boron are optimized for the α-rhombohedral (Icosahedral B_{12 …}

Three-Dimensional Porous Vn Octahedron Catalyst With High Electrocatalytic Efficiency Toward Hydrogen Evolution Reaction, Can Yin, Wei-Wei Fu, Ling Fang, Shi-Li You, Hui-Juan Zhang, Yu Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

With the rapid development of China’s economy, the demand for energy is increasing, and environmental problems are becoming more and more serious. The development and utilization of highly-clean new energy fuel can effectively alleviate the energy crisis and environmental pollution. Nowadays, exploring high-efficiency, environment-friendly and low-cost catalysts remains the focus of research in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this research, firstly, we proposed a three-dimensional porous vanadium nitride (VN) with octahedral structure, which was prepared by a calcination treatment method. The VN catalyst showed a good electrocatalytic activity toward HER, involving a small overpotential of 94.0 mV at -10 …

Influences Of Morphology And Nitrogen Doping On The Electrocatalytic Characteristics For Oxygen Reduction Reaction Of Nio/Rgo, Dong Liang, Heng-Yi Fang, Shuo Yao, Jie-Mei Yu, Zhao-Liang Zhang, Zhan-Kun Jiang, Xue-Ping Gao, Tai-Zhong Huang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this research, the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported sheet-like NiO (NiO/rGO) and spherical-like NiO (NiO/N-rGO) catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) were prepared. The structures, morphologies and chemical states of the two catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical catalytic performance of the two catalysts for ORR were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), Tafel, linear sweeping voltammetry (LSV), rotating disc electrode (RDE) and rotating ring disc electrode (RRDE) tests. Electrochemical results showed that the current density and onset potential (about 0.89 V) …

Special Issue: Electrocatalysis And Fuel Cells, Shuangyin Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

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Pd Nanoparticles Supported On The Etched Ni Foams As High-Performance Electrocatalysts For Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells, Chi Zhang, Cheng-Fei Li, Gao-Ren Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

The development of non-Pt anode electrocatalysts with high activity and long-term durability at low cost for fuel cells still remains enormous challenge. Here we report the Pd nanoparticles supported on Ni foams etched by the mixed acids (HNO₃+H₂SO₄+H₃PO₄+CH₃COOH) (Pd/ME-NF) that are designed and fabricated as high-performance electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. Because of the advantages of large open space, fast electrolyte penetration/diffusion and rapid electron transfer process, the Pd/ME-NF catalysts exhibited significantly improved electrocatalytic activity and durability compared with the commercial Pd/C catalysts.