Engineering Au/MnO2 hierarchical nanoarchitectures for ethanol electrochemical valorization

The design of eco-friendly electrocatalysts for ethanol valorization isan open challenge towards sustainable hydrogen production. Hereinwe present an original fabrication route to effective electrocatalystsfor the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). In particular, hierarchicalMnO2 nanostructures are grown on high-area nickel foamscaffolds bya plasma-assisted strategy and functionalized with low amounts ofoptimally dispersed Au nanoparticles. This strategy leads to catalystswith a unique morphology, designed to enhance reactant-surfacecontacts and maximize active site utilization. The developed nanoarchitecturesshow superior performances for ethanol oxidation inalkaline media. We reveal that Au decoration boosts MnO2 catalyticactivity by inducing pre-dissociation and pre-oxidation of the adsorbedethanol molecules. This evidence validates our strategy as aneffective route for the development of green electrocatalysts forefficient electrical-to-chemical energy conversion.