Boosting fuel cell catalysis by surface doping of W on Pd nanocubes

W-doped Pd nanocubes were synthesized by a surface-doping process using Pd nanocubes as seeds. The W-doped Pd nanocubes showed substantially improved fuel cell catalysis, including the alkaline oxygen reduction reaction and the ethanol oxidation reaction, which can be attributed to a downshift of the d-band center of the catalyst due to negative charge transfer from W to Pd.