Comparative electrooxidation of C1-C4 alcohols on Pd|CC nanoparticle anode catalyst in alkaline medium

The comparative studies of methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol and 2-butanol electrooxidation were carried out on carbon-ceramic electrode (CCE) potentiostatically modified with Pd nano-particles. The Characterization of catalytic layer by Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that well-dispersed catalytic particles with high density have been formed on CC substrate. Voltammetry, Chronoamperometry (CA), Polarization study and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to investigate the alcohols oxidation reactions. The relevant parameters such as the Tafel slope and activation energy (Ea) were determined. This study upholds the fact that 2-propanol is a promising fuel candidate for a direct alkaline alcohol fuel cell. Copyright (C) 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.