Anode Electrocatalyst Research Articles

A Comparative Study of the Catalytic Performance of Pt-Based Bi and Trimetallic Nanocatalysts Towards Methanol, Ethanol, Ethylene Glycol, and Glycerol Electro-Oxidation.

Carbon-supported platinum is used as an anode and cathode electrocatalyst in low-temperature fuel cells fueled with low-molecular-weight alcohols in fuel cells. The cost of Pt and its low activity towards the complete oxidation of these fuels are significant barriers to the widespread use of these types of fuel cells. Here, we report on the development of PtRhNi nanocatalysts supported on carbon made using a reduction chemistry method with different atomic rates. The catalytic activity of the developed catalysts towards the electro-oxidation of methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol, and glycerol in acidic media was studied. The obtained catalysts performances were compared with both commercial Pt/C and binary Pt75Ni25/C catalyst. The nanostructures were characterized, employing inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The binary catalyst presents a mean particle size of around 2 nm. Whereas the ternary catalysts present particles of similar size and with some large alloy and core-shell structures. The alcohol oxidation onset potential and the current density measured after 3600 s of chronoamperometry were used to classify the catalytic activity of the catalysts towards the oxidation of methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol, and glycerol. The best PtRhNi/C catalyst composition (i.e., Pt43Rh43Ni14/C) presented the highest activity for alcohols oxidation compared with all catalysts studied, indicating the proper tuning composition influence in the catalytic activity. The enhanced activity of Pt43Rh43Ni14/C can be attributed to the synergic effect of trimetallic compounds, Pt, Ni, and Rh.

Optimization of process parameters using response surface methodology (RSM) for power generation via electrooxidation of glycerol in T-Shaped air breathing microfluidic fuel cell (MFC)

The present work focuses on the optimization of operating parameters using Box Behnken design (BBD) in RSM to obtain maximum power density from a glycerol based air-breathing T-shaped MFC. The major parameters influencing the experiment for enhancing the cell performance in MFC are glycerol/fuel concentration, anode electrolyte/KOH concentration, anode electrocatalyst loading and cathode electrolyte/KOH concentration. The ambient oxygen is used as the oxidant. The acetylene black carbon (CAB) supported laboratory synthesized electrocatalyst Pd–Pt (16:4)/CAB is used as anode electrocatalyst and commercial Pt (40 wt%)/CHSA as the cathode electrocatalyst. The quadratic model predicts the appropriate operating conditions to achieve highest power density from the laboratory designed T-shaped MFC. The p-value of less than 0.0001 and F-value of greater than 1 i.e., 26.32 indicate that the model is significant. The optimum conditions predicted by the RSM model were glycerol concentration of 1.07 M, anode electrolyte concentration of 1.62 M anode electrocatalyst loading of 1.12 mg/cm2 and cathode electrolyte concentration of 0.69 M. The negligible deviation of only 1.07% between actual/experimental power density (2.76 mW/cm2) and predicted power density (2.79 mW/cm2) was recorded. This model reasonably predicts the optimum conditions using Pd–Pt (16:4)/CAB electrocatalyst to obtain maximum power density from glycerol based MFC.

Porous 3D Inorganic Superstructure of Pd-Ir Aerogel as Advanced Support-Less Anode Electrocatalyst toward Ethanol Oxidation.

For the first time, synthesis of Pd–Ir aerogel is reported in this manuscript. The Pd–Ir aerogel is synthesized using the controlled assembly of nanoparticles (NPs) (Ir and Pd) during the facile, surfactant-free, fast, and one-step gelation process in an aqueous environment followed by CO2 supercritical drying. In this process, no chemical reagents are employed to induce the gelation, and change of temperature is employed to create anisotropic electrostatic repulsions between NPs. In addition, the kinetics and the type of product are controlled by the change of temperature. The Pd–Ir aerogel shows a three-dimensional (3D) architecture with a very high porosity and an ultralow density (0.016 g cm–3). The Pd–Ir aerogel is applied as an advanced 3D electrocatalyst for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and offers a remarkable electrocatalytic efficiency (5416.1 mA mgPd–1) in a basic environment. The exceptional electrocatalytic activity and stability of the resultant aerogel are attributed to two crucial reasons: (1) unique structure of Pd–Ir aerogel and (2) synergistic effect of Ir element. Micro- and mesopore characteristics provide a large surface area, while macrospore characteristic guarantees accessibility to active sites. Furthermore, the self-supporting character of the Pd–Ir aerogel may hinder the degradation of durability observed in carbon-based electrocatalysts due to corrosion of carbonaceous support. Moreover, the Ir element as a co-metal in the structure of Pd–Ir aerogel acts as a very efficient promotor in the EOR and can change the electronic structure of Pd, which facilitates the electrooxidation of EtOH in alkaline media.

Evaluation of Stainless Steel as an Electrocatalyst for Electrooxidation of Urea - Rich Wastewater

In this study, commercially available bare stainless steel 304 was investigated as a working electrode in urea electrooxidation in alkaline solution using different electrochemical techniques like cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The electrode stability was also investigated by the constant potential electrolysis test. Different concentrations of KOH (0.5-4 M) were employed to study the electrooxidation of urea solution with concentration of 0.33 M. An anodic peak current density of 34.82mA/cm2 was obtained at 473 mV versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode in urea solution at KOH concentration of 4 M. Stainless steel properties such as corrosion resistance, low cost in addition to its catalytic activity make it an ideal anodic electrocatalyst for electrooxidation of urea-rich wastewater.

Erratum to: Fabrication of nano-platinum alloy electrocatalysts and their performance in a micro-direct methanol fuel cell

The main target of this investigation is to propose an effective anodic electrocatalyst for micro-direct methanol fuel cell. For this purpose, five nanostructured metal alloy electrocatalysts including platinum (Pt), ruthenium (Ru) and iron (Fe) are synthesized. The single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SW-CNT and MW-CNT) and graphene (Gr) are employed as the carbon (C) base. First, PtRuFe/SW-CNT, PtRuFe/MW-CNT, PtRuFe/Gr and PtRuFe/C catalysts with a 1:4:5 atomic ratio for Pt, Ru and Fe, respectively, and PtRu/C catalyst with a 1:1 atomic ratio for Pt and Ru, correspondingly, are prepared by the process of improved alcohol recovery. In continuation, the morphology and activity of synthesized nano-electrocatalysts are confirmed and assessed by applying the physical and electrochemical tests. According to the obtained results, PtRuFe/SW-CNT is the most suitable catalyst for methanol oxidation reaction. The outcomes of electrochemical measurements show that PtRuFe/SW-CNT electrocatalyst has the highest activity, mass activity, mass transfer and electrochemical active surface area with respect to methanol oxidation in comparison with the commercial Pt/C and the rest of the synthesized catalysts. Next, two-electrode membrane assembly is fabricated with PtRuFe/SW-CNT and commercial Pt/C electrocatalysts to evaluate the performance of them in micro-direct methanol fuel cell. Based on the obtained polarization curves, by using PtRuFe/SW-CNT instead of commercial Pt/C, the current density in zero-voltage and maximum power density enhance by 48% and 92.3%, respectively.

Synthesis and characterization of NiCoOx mixed nanocatalysts for anion exchanger membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE)

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) is a well developed technology for the conversion of water into hydrogen and oxygen. AEMWE is still a developing technology. One of the major advantages of AEM water electrolysis is the replacement ofconventional noble metal electrocatalysts with low cost transition metal catalysts. In this study, we report characterization of NiCoOx mixed metallic oxides synthesized by the hydrolysis method as anodic electrocatalysts for AEMWE. The mechanisms of the thermal decomposition process of precursors to form mixed metallic oxide powders were studied by means of thermal gravity analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to evaluate the crystallographic structure, morphology and size of catalyst particles. The surface reactivity and stability of these oxides was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) electrochemical method in solution of 1 M KOH. Based on the given results, the good anodic electrocatalyst was found.

Synthesis of Biogenic Palladium Nanoparticles Using Citrobacter sp. for Application as Anode Electrocatalyst in a Microbial Fuel Cell

Palladium (Pd) is a cheap and effective electrocatalyst that is capable of replacing platinum (Pt) in various applications. However, the problem in using chemically synthesized Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs) is that they are mostly fabricated using toxic chemicals under severe conditions. In this study, we present a more environmentally-friendly process in fabricating biogenic Pd nanoparticles (Bio-PdNPs) using Citrobacter sp. isolated from wastewater sludge. Successful fabrication of Bio-PdNPs was achieved under anaerobic conditions at pH six and a temperature of 30 °C using sodium formate (HCOONa) as an electron donor. Citrobacter sp. showed biosorption capabilities with no enzymatic contribution to Pd(II) uptake during absence of HCOONa in both live and dead cells. Citrobacter sp. live cells also displayed high enzymatic contribution to the removal of Pd(II) by biological reduction. This was confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) characterization, which revealed the presence Bio-PdNPs deposited on the bacterial cells. The bio-PdNPs successfully enhanced the anode performance of the Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). The MFC with the highest Bio-PdNPs loading (4 mg Bio-PdNP/cm2) achieved a maximum power density of 539.3 mW/m3 (4.01 mW/m2) and peak voltage of 328.4 mV.

Ce-Doped IrO2 Electrocatalysts with Enhanced Performance for Water Oxidation in Acidic Media.

Electrocatalytic water splitting in acidic media based on a proton-exchange membrane (PEM) is a promising technique for the large-scale production of hydrogen. However, developing electrocatalysts with high activity and excellent stability for an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic media is still a big challenge. Herein, a Cex-IrO2 catalyst supported on N-doped porous carbon (NPC) was developed via doping Ce into IrO2 nanoparticles. The Cex-IrO2 nanoparticles were uniformly distributed on NPC due to the high surface area. The optimized Ce0.2-IrO2@NPC delivers a low overpotential of 224 mV and excellent stability of 100 h in 0.5 M H2SO4 at 10 mA cm-2. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that the introduction of Ce could modify the electronic structure of IrO2, decreasing the energy barrier of the rate-determining step for OER and enhancing the electrochemical OER performance. Our work opens up a new way of developing anodic electrocatalysts, which can be stably applied in acidic media.

Carbon dots/polyoxometalate/Pt as a ternary composite for electrocatalytic methanol oxidation

Development of high-efficiency anode electrocatalysts remains a challenge for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Herein, carbon dots (CDs) and Co-substituted sandwich polyoxometalate K10[Co4(H2O)2(PW9O34)2]·20H2O (Co-POM) were selected as building blocks to construct a new ternary composite electrocatalyst CDs/Co-POM/Pt for application in the methanol oxidation reaction. CDs/Co-POM/Pt was characterized by FTIR, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDX), element mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results revealed that a nanoflower-like Pt nanostructure with high dispersion and uniformity was formed. The electrochemical experiments showed that CDs and Co-POM enhanced the electrocatalytic ability of Pt, and the highest peak current density of 7.98 mA cm−2 was obtained for CDs/Co-POM/Pt, corresponding to 3.6 times, 6.5 times and 10.8 times as high as that of CDs/Pt, Co-POM/Pt and pure Pt. Also CDs/Co-POM/Pt had good stability in the electrocatalytic process. This work paves a way for development of polyoxometalate-based electrocatalysts.

Lanthanum Ferrites-Based Exsolved Perovskites as Fuel-Flexible Anode for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.

Exsolved perovskites can be obtained from lanthanum ferrites, such as La0.6Sr0.4Fe0.8Co0.2O3, as result of Ni doping and thermal treatments. Ni can be simply added to the perovskite by an incipient wetness method. Thermal treatments that favor the exsolution process include calcination in air (e.g., 500 °C) and subsequent reduction in diluted H2 at 800 °C. These processes allow producing a two-phase material consisting of a Ruddlesden–Popper-type structure and a solid oxide solution e.g., α-Fe100-y-zCoyNizOx oxide. The formed electrocatalyst shows sufficient electronic conductivity under reducing environment at the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) anode. Outstanding catalytic properties are observed for the direct oxidation of dry fuels in SOFCs, including H2, methane, syngas, methanol, glycerol, and propane. This anode electrocatalyst can be combined with a full density electrolyte based on Gadolinia-doped ceria or with La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O3 (LSGM) or BaCe0.9Y0.1O3-δ (BYCO) to form a complete perovskite structure-based cell. Moreover, the exsolved perovskite can be used as a coating layer or catalytic pre-layer of a conventional Ni-YSZ anode. Beside the excellent catalytic activity, this material also shows proper durability and tolerance to sulfur poisoning. Research challenges and future directions are discussed. A new approach combining an exsolved perovskite and an NiCu alloy to further enhance the fuel flexibility of the composite catalyst is also considered. In this review, the preparation methods, physicochemical characteristics, and surface properties of exsoluted fine nanoparticles encapsulated on the metal-depleted perovskite, electrochemical properties for the direct oxidation of dry fuels, and related electrooxidation mechanisms are examined and discussed.

Effect of Nafion loading and the novel flow field designs on innovative anode electrocatalyst for improved Direct Methanol Fuel cells performance

Efficiency of a Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) not just merely depends on the catalyst, but also on the flow channels, physical/electrochemical kinetics, Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) preparation and other operating parameters. This article is focused on the influence of novel flow field design and the effect of Nafion loading during MEA preparation on the performance of DMFC. A novel Pt/NiTiO3 was used as the anode electrocatalyst in the DMFC. The results show a 27.8% & 5.1% increment in cell performance due to changes in Nafion loading and flow field designs, respectively. A Nafion loading of 0.5 mg/cm2 and the sinuous flow field gave the highest performance. Thus, Pt-NiTiO3/C performed to be an encouraging anode catalyst with the new sinuous flow field.

PdPt concave nanocubes directly electrodeposited on carbon paper as high active and durable catalysts for formic acid and ethanol oxidation

Highly efficient and durable anode electrocatalysts are the key to boost the performance of direct organic-molecule fuel cells (DOMFCs), yet there are still many challenges need to be solved. The PdPt alloy nanocrystals have been regarded as the most promising anode catalysts of DOMFCs, and the further improvement of their catalytic performance has attracted much attention. The effective routes includes tailoring the surface structure and optimizing the alloy composition of PdPt nanocatalysts. The high-index faceted structures possess high density of terraces and atomic steps which are efficient for electrooxidation reactions of small organic-molecule fuels, such as formic acid and ethanol. In particular, electrochemically-controlled synthesis methods present unique advantages in achieving such high-index faceted nanostructures. The current paper reports a direct electrodeposition of PdPt concave nanocubes on carbon paper (denoted as PdPt-CNC/CP). The prepared PdPt-CNC/CP has high-index faceted surface structures varying from {610} to {830}. When served as electrocatalysts, the PdPt-CNC/CP brings in outstanding mass specific activity and durability towards both formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). More importantly, the selectivity of complete oxidation pathway through the cleavage of C-C bond on PdPt-CNC/CP during EOR in alkaline solution has been confirmed through NMR analysis. Based on the convenient method of direct electrodeposition of PdPt concave nanocubes on carbon paper and their excellent catalytic activity and durability, the PdPt-CNC/CP catalysts have potential advantages in being used as catalyst layers directly for membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in fuel cells, due to the reduced catalyst loading and simplified assembly process in comparison with traditional preparation procedure.

Sulfhydryl-functionalized carbon dots modified ball cactus-like Au composites facilitating the electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation through adsorption effect

Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) are considered as the ideal green power suppliers because of high energy density and non-toxicity of ethanol. Here the ball cactus-like gold (Au) particles reduced by hydrogen peroxide solution are coated with sulfhydryl-functionalized carbon dots (SCDs-Au). When the SCDs-Au composite is employed as the anodic electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation reaction, an anode peak current density of 23.23 mA cm−2 (mass activity of 102.65 mA mg−1) is obtained at 0.19 V (vs. SCE) in 1.0 M KOH and 1.0 M ethanol at a scan rate of 20 mV s−1, which is about 4.4 times than that of Au without modification of SCDs. The higher catalytic activity is attributed to the higher ethanol adsorption capability caused by the shell-like SCDs. According to the adsorption experiment, ethanol adsorption capability of SCDs-Au is calculated as 2.8 times than that of Au without modification. At the same time, the addition of SCDs improves the electrocatalytic stability of Au. Such a surface modification method can be applied in other catalyst design processes. The ball cactus-like gold (Au) particles reduced by hydrogen peroxide solution are coated with sulfhydryl-functionalized carbon dots (SCDs-Au). SCDs-Au shows enhanced anode current density for ethanol oxidation attributed to the higher ethanol adsorption capability caused by CDs shell.

Manganese-Modulated Cobalt-Based Layered Double Hydroxide Grown on Nickel Foam with 1D-2D-3D Heterostructure for Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction and Urea Oxidation Reaction.

Hydrogen production by energy-efficient water electrolysis is a green avenue for the development of contemporary society. However, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the urea oxidation reaction (UOR) occurring at the anode are impeded by the sluggish reaction kinetics during the water-splitting process. Consequently, it is promising to develop bifunctional anodic electrocatalysts consisting of nonprecious metals. Herein, a bifunctional CoMn layered double hydroxide (LDH) was grown on nickel foam (NF) with a 1D-2D-3D hierarchical structure for efficient OER and UOR performance in alkaline solution. Owing to the significant synergistic effect of Mn doping and heterostructure engineering, the obtained Co1 Mn1 LDH/NF exhibits satisfactory OER activity with a low potential of 1.515 V to attain 10 mA cm-2 . Besides, the potential of the Co1 Mn1 LDH/NF catalyst for UOR at the same current density is only 1.326 V, which is much lower than those of its counterparts and most reported electrocatalysts. An urea electrolytic cell with a Co1 Mn1 LDH/NF anode and a Pt-C/NF cathode was established, and a low cell voltage of 1.354 V at 10 mA cm-2 was acquired. The optimized strategy may result in promising candidates for developing a new generation of bifunctional electrocatalysts for clean energy production.

An efficient and non-precious anode electrocatalyst of NiO-modified carbon nanofibers towards electrochemical urea oxidation in alkaline media

Non-precious NiO nanoparticles were combined with carbon fibers (CFs) to design the novel electrode material; NiO-CFs. The as-synthesized NiO-CFs material was investigated in terms of Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), UV–vis spectra, Transmission electron microscope (TEM), selected area diffraction (SAED) pattern and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. These analyses indicate the successful synthesis of a nanocomposite of NiO-CFs. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) in addition to chronoamperometric (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods were studied in the 3-electrodes system to examine the electrochemical performance of NiO-CFs material for urea oxidation in KOH medium. The synthesized nanocomposite showed improved electrochemical oxidation of urea at various urea concentrations up to 1.5 M. The decreasing of both charge transfer impedance and series resistance indicates the enhanced transfer of electrons in the occurrence of urea which could be related to the high electrochemical performance of NiO-CFs material as an electrocatalyst. The superior electrochemical activity can be due to the assembly of C-structure with NiO nanoparticles during the synthesis steps which enhance electrocatalysis, charge transfer, and structural defects.

Boosting ethanol oxidation over nickel oxide through construction of quasi-one-dimensional morphology and hierarchically porous structure

Quasi-one-dimensional NiO with a hierarchically porous structure was synthesized through a facile coordination−precipitation method with the coupling effect of ammonia and a post-calcination treatment. The electrocatalytic properties of NiO fibers for the oxidation of ethanol were compared with those of NiO spheres. The results show that the fibrous NiO possesses a larger specific surface area of 140.153 m2/g and a lower electrical resistivity of 4.5×105 Ω·m, leading to an impressively superior electrocatalytic activity to spherical NiO for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. The current decay on fibrous NiO at 0.6 V in 100−900 s was 0.00003%, which is much lower than that of spherical NiO, indicating its better stability. The unique morphology and hierarchically porous structure give the fibrous NiO great potential to be used as an anodic electrocatalyst for direct ethanol fuel cells.

CO Tolerance and Stability of Graphene and N-Doped Graphene Supported Pt Anode Electrocatalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Pt electrocatalysts supported on pristine graphene nanosheets (GNS) and nitrogen-doped graphene nanoplatelets (N-GNP) were prepared through the ethylene glycol process, and a comparison of their CO tolerance and stability as anode materials in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) with those of the conventional carbon (C)-supported Pt was made. Repetitive potential cycling in a half cell showed that Pt/GNS catalysts have the highest stability, in terms of the highest sintering resistance (lowest particle growth) and the lowest electrochemically active surface area loss. By tests in PEMFCs, the Pt/N-GNP catalyst showed the highest CO tolerance, while the poisoning resistance of Pt/GNS was lower than that of Pt/C. The higher CO tolerance of Pt/N-GNP than that of Pt/GNS was ascribed to the presence of a defect in graphene, generated by N-doping, decreasing CO adsorption energy.

Development of an Efficient Non‐Noble Metal Based Anode Electrocatalyst to Promote Methanol Oxidation Activity in DMFC

AbstractIn this research, electrocatalytic activity of cobalt benzene tricarboxylic acid metal organic framework (Co BTC MOF) and its reduced graphene oxide based composites (rGO/Co BTC) were investigated in an alkaline media for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). Metal Organic frameworks (MOF) and their composites were solvothermally prepared and characterized via FTIR, EDX, SEM and XRD. Electrochemical studies were performed by cyclic voltammetry, electron impedance spectroscopy, chronoamperometry and cyclic stability. Among all the prepared composites, 1 wt % rGO/Co BTC MOF (1.07 mg cm−2) demonstrated a promising current density of 130 mA cm−2 at 1.59 V vs. RHE, a tafel slope of 83.6 mV dec−1 and resistance of 14.75 Ω in 1 M NaOH/ 2 M methanol solution showing much better performance than state‐of‐the‐art Pt based materials.

Silica based hybrid organic-inorganic materials for PEMFC application

It is of key importance to develop membrane assembly electrodes (MEAs) offering high conductivity, thermal stability and suitable performance in the fuel cell. The mesoporous materials functionalized with acid groups are appropriate candidates to improve membrane's properties. The goal of this work was to assess the addition of functionalized porous silica, bearing different acid groups, on the MEA performance in a PEM type single fuel cell. Ni59Nb40Pt0.6Fe0.4 -based amorphous alloys were applied as anode electrocatalysts. The synthesis of functionalized mesoporous silica (UGM-fx) with different acid groups, namely [SO3H], [COOH] and [PO(OH)2], was carried out following a nonaqueous sol gel method. The results showed that the MEA containing silica with PO(OH)2 groups leads to an outstanding fuel cell performance compared to that of the other organic groups-based MEAs and that it outperformed a commercial Pt-based sample. This might be due to the higher proton conductivity exhibited by the phosphonic groups.

Bowl-like carbon supported AuPd and phosphotungstic acid composite for electrooxidation of ethylene glycol and glycerol

In this study, a novel composite of bowl-like carbon nanomaterial supported AuPd nanoparticles and phosphotungstic acid is prepared. The morphology and chemical composition of the prepared composite are studied by a series of characterizations. Inspired by the development of anode electrocatalyst in direct alcohol fuel cell, the obtained composite is further applied as catalyst for ethylene glycol and glycerol electrooxidation. Electrochemical results show that the optimized composite exhibits enhanced electrocatalytic performance than the commercial Pd/C catalyst, which may promote the practical application in fuel cells.