Developing an efficient approach for preparation of high-performance visible-light assisted ethanol electro-oxidation materials based on Pd, Pt and Pd–Pt nanoparticles supported on iron doped titania nanotube films

Abstract

Electrochemical anodization and electrodeposition have been used to synthesize highly ordered iron doped titania nanotubes (FeT) loaded with palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt) and Pt–Pd nanoparticles, followed by characterization by FE-SEM and XRD analyses. Higher photoelectrocatalytical activity is shown by the electrodeposited nanotube samples compared with undeposited-FeT sample under identical conditions, according to the photoelectrochemical experiments. The electrochemical behavior of the synthetic electrodes was studied by investigation of ethanol electrocatalytic oxidation in an alkaline medium in the absence or presence of light irradiation. The results of electrochemical studies indicated that Pt–Pd/FeT/Ti was more catalytically active than Pt/FeT/Ti and Pd/FeT/Ti in ethanol electrooxidation in alkaline media both in the dark and under light irradiation. Furthermore, the catalytic activities of nanotube based catalysts were considerably enhanced under light irradiation due to the interaction of electrocatalysis and photocatalysis. The peak current density of ethanol oxidation using sample FeT2 under light irradiation is about 1.45 times the corresponding value in the dark.