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Palladium-platinum electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction: comparison of electrochemical activities in acid and alkaline media

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Abstract

Carbon-supported Pd, Pt, Pt1Pd1, and Pt3Pd1 electrocatalysts were prepared by metal ion chemical reduction with borohydride. The electrocatalysts were analyzed by EDS, HRTEM, and XRD techniques. The EDS spectra showed that the actual compositions of the materials were close to the nominal compositions. The XRD measurements revealed that the materials were crystalline, and no oxide peaks were observed. The HRTEM micrographs showed homogeneous particle distributions on the carbon, with Gaussian particle size distributions. The mean particle sizes were taken as the maxima of the Gaussian distributions. All the materials presented electrochemical activities for the ethanol oxidation reaction, with the exception of Pd in acid media. Pt showed poor performance in alkaline media. The poisoning rate was determined by cyclic voltammetry (i forward/i backward ratios), as well as by chronoamperometry experiments, both of which indicated a low poisoning rate for Pd in alkaline medium and higher poisoning rates as the Pt content increased in the PtPd electrocatalyst

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Tatiane Oliveira dos Santos, from the Microscopy Laboratory (LABMIC) of the Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil, for assisting with use of the JEOL JEM-2010 HRTEM microscope.

Funding

The authors thank Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), grants # 554569/2010-8 and 309066/2013-1, and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Avenida dos Portugueses 1966, São Luís, MA, 65080-805, Brazil

    Leandro L. Carvalho & Auro A. Tanaka

  2. Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Avenida Esperança s/n, Goiânia, GO, 74690-900, Brazil

    Leandro L. Carvalho & Flavio Colmati

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  1. Leandro L. Carvalho
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  2. Auro A. Tanaka
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  3. Flavio Colmati
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Correspondence to Auro A. Tanaka or Flavio Colmati.

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Highlights

• Comparison of the electrochemical activities of Pd, Pt, and PdPt electrocatalysts towards the ethanol oxidation reaction in acid and alkaline media.

• Calculation of Pd and Pt-Pd poisoning rates using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry experiments.

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Carvalho, L.L., Tanaka, A.A. & Colmati, F. Palladium-platinum electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction: comparison of electrochemical activities in acid and alkaline media. J Solid State Electrochem 22, 1471–1481 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-017-3856-0

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