Efficient Electro-Oxidation of 2-Propanol at Platinum- and Gold-Modified Palladium Nanocatalysts

Abstract

This study aims at investigating the catalytic performance of Pd, Pd/Pt, and Pd/Au nanocatalysts toward the 2-propanol electro-oxidation reaction (2POR) in an alkaline medium. The catalyst components (Pd, Pt, and Au) were sequentially electrodeposited onto the glassy carbon (GC) electrode surface and further characterized using electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry (CV)) and materials (field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX)) characterization methods. The Pd/Au/GC catalyst showed the highest catalytic activity in terms of the highest oxidation current (0.386 mA) and the highest stability in terms of the highest obtained current after 1800 s of continuous electrolysis. This behaviour was attributed to the enhancement in the charge transfer kinetics where the Pd/Au/GC catalysts acquired the lowest charge transfer resistance (Rct, 1.85 kΩ) during the 2POR.