High-efficient electrooxidation of ethylene glycol and ethanol on PdSn alloy loaded by versatile poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene).

ABSTRACT

Developing a novel catalyst with lower noble-metal loading and higher catalytic efficiency is significant for promoting the widespread application of direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs). In this work, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) supported the PdSn alloy (PdSn/PEDOT) were simply synthesized and their electrocatalytic performance toward the oxidation of ethylene glycol and ethanol (EGOR and EOR) were investigated in alkaline media, respectively. In comparison with other control catalysts, the optimized Pd4Sn6/PEDOT catalyst exhibits the highest mass activity (7125/4166 mA mgPd-1) and specific activity (26/15 mA cm-2) towards EGOR/EOR. The mass activity of Pd4Sn6/PEDOT for EGOR and EOR are 11.9 and 10.9 times higher than commercial Pd/C, respectively. Moreover, chronoamperometry (CA) and successive cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests show that the CO resistance ability and durability of the Pd4Sn6/PEDOT catalyst were superior to Pd4Sn6, Pd/PEDOT and commercial Pd/C catalysts, which can be attributed to the d-band center of Pd can be effectively downshifted and the interface strain effect between electrons caused by the conjugated structure between PEDOT groups. This work provides an effective strategy for the development of highly efficient anode catalysts of DAFCs.