Electrocatalytic properties of Pd/C catalyst for formic acid electrooxidation promoted by europium oxide

Abstract

It is found that the electrocatalytic activity and stability of Pd/C nanocatalyst for formic acid electrooxidation are enhanced by the introduction of EuOx. The morphology, composition and electrocatalytic properties of the PdEuOx/C catalyst are investigated by the transmission electronmicroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, the linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry, respectively. The EDX results confirm the existence of EuOx in the PdEuOx/C catalysts. The XRD results indicate that the Pd is in the state of face-centered cubic phase structure. The linear sweeping voltammetry and chronoamperometry measurements show that the current of formic acid electrooxidation on the PdEuOx/C catalyst is ca. 2.5 times and 9 times as high as that of the home-made Pd/C catalyst, respectively; moreover, the performances are also much higher than the commercial Pd/C catalyst. The high performances can be attributed to the larger electrochemical surface area and the electronic effect of the EuOx in the PdEuOx/C catalyst.