Abstract
Physical and electrochemical properties of Pd catalysts combined with Ru and Mo on carbon support were investigated. To this end, Pd, Pd1.3Ru1.0, Pd3.2Ru1.3Mo1.0 and Pd1.5Ru0.8Mo1.0 were synthesized on Carbon Vulcan XC72 support by the method of thermal decomposition of polymeric precursors and then physically and electrochemically characterized. The highest reaction yields are obtained for Pd3.2Ru1.3Mo1.0/C and Pd1.5Ru0.8Mo1.0/C and, as demonstrated by thermal analysis, they also show the smallest metal/carbon ratio compared the other catalysts. XRD (X-ray Diffraction) and Raman analyses show the presence of PdO and RuO2 for the Pd/C and the Pd1.3Ru1.0/C catalysts, respectively, a fact not observed for the Pd3.2Ru1.3 Mo1.0 /C and the Pd1.5Ru0.8Mo1.0/C catalysts. The catalytic activities were tested for the ethanol oxidation in alkaline medium. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) shows Pd1.3Ru1.0/C exhibiting the highest peak of current density, followed by Pd3.2Ru1.3Mo1.0/C, Pd1.5Ru0.8Mo1.0/C and Pd/C. From, chronoamperometry (CA), it is possible to observe the lowest rate of poisoning for the Pd1.3Ru1.0/C, followed by Pd3.2Ru1.3Mo1.0/C, Pd1.5Ru0.8Mo1.0/C and Pd/C. These results suggested that catalytic activity of the binary and the ternary catalysts are improved in comparison with Pd/C. The presence of RuO2 activated the bifunctional mechanism and improved the catalytic activity in the Pd1.3Ru1.0/C catalyst. The addition of Mo in the catalysts enhanced the catalytic activity by the intrinsic mechanism, suggesting a synergistic effect between metals. In summary, we suggest that it is possible to synthesize ternary PdRuMo catalysts supported on Carbon Vulcan XC72, resulting in materials with lower poisoning rates and lower costs than Pd/C.Graphic abstract
Highlights
Fuel cells have sparked a great interest in many research groups as an alternative to generating clean and high-power energy for portable electronics and electric vehicles [1]
The catalysts were synthesized with high yields and the values are shown in Table 2, as well the results of their physical characterizations by EDX, BET surface area and TGA
As the thermal analysis was performed under oxygen atmosphere, the carbon support was fully oxidized during the process, leaving only the mass of metallic compounds at the end of the measurement [12, 37]
Summary
Fuel cells have sparked a great interest in many research groups as an alternative to generating clean and high-power energy for portable electronics and electric vehicles [1]. Several low molecular weight alcohols (methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol, isopropanol, and glycerol) have been tested as fuels to replace hydrogen, which generates good power densities and reacts with oxygen, but its storage and transportation are difficult [1, 2]. Methanol reacts efficiently with oxygen and generates good current densities, but it is toxic and volatile. Ethanol is an alcohol from renewable sources, produces energy with good power densities, and exhibits a remarkably high theoretical efficiency if completely oxidized to C O2 and H 2O. Ethanol seems to be an excellent alternative fuel for fuel cells in mobile devices. Breaking the ethanol C–C bond is not easy and, the CO2 formation is low, and the incomplete reaction leads to the poisoning CO [1, 3,4,5,6]
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