Electrochemical investigation of Pd nanoparticles and MWCNTs supported Pd nanoparticles-coated electrodes for alcohols (C1–C3) oxidation in fuel cells

Abstract

Incorporation of palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into chitosan-coated glassy carbon (GC) electrode for alcohols (methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol) electrooxidation has been studied. PdNPs–chitosan and MWCNTs–PdNPs–chitosan nanocomposites are successfully prepared and characterized by transmission electron microscopy images and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Based on the results, PdNPs–chitosan nanocomposite indicates high electrochemical activity and excellent catalytic characteristic for alcohol (C1–C3) electrooxidation on a GC electrode in an alkaline medium. The current density of the alcohols oxidation at GC–PdNPs–chitosan electrode is investigated in optimized conditions and compared with that obtained at the GC-modified electrode by Pd with different polymers. Also, our results show that the dispersion of Pd nanoparticles on the MWCNTs significantly improved the performance of the PdNPs/chitosan composite for electrooxidation of the C1–C3 alcohols.