(682b) Pd-Ni Electrocatalysts for Efficient Ethanol Oxidation Reaction In Alkaline Electrolyte

Abstract: Lignocellulosic
biomass-derived ethanol is among the most promising fuel candidates to supply
future energy needs. The development of anion exchange membrane renders the
possibility of ethanol oxidation by using non-platinum catalysts with high
efficiency, which significantly reduces the cost of direct ethanol fuel cells
and makes it attractive for large-scale fuel cell applications. It has been
found that Pd has a competitive ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) as Pt in high
pH media. The theoretical calculation predicts that Pd-Ni could have high EOR
activity due to the synergetic effect of Ni element. Here, we report a
solution-phase reduction approach to prepare carbon supported Pd-Ni nanoparticles with different Pd-Ni compositions and characterize
them by XRD, TEM, HR-TEM, TGA, ICP-AES. The
characterizations reveal that these Pd-Ni catalysts have small diameters of
around 3 nm and narrow size distributions. The catalytic activities towards EOR
are carried out in 1.0 M NaOH + 1.0 M C₂H₅OH
by cyclic voltammetry and chonoammeperometry,
and to our knowledge, the highest EOR mass activity and stability on PdxNiy/C catalysts have been demonstrated. We also find the
EOR activity is strongly correlated with Pd-Ni composition and structure,
especially the Pd-Ni interaction/contact on catalyst surface. Our latest
progress in this area will be presented as well.