A facile synthesis of palladium nanoparticles supported on functional carbon nanotubes and its novel catalysis for ethanol electrooxidation.
In this study, a novel material, palladium nanoparticles-carboxylic functional carbon nanotubes (PdNPs-CFCNTs), based on PdNPs supported on CFCNTs was synthesized by a facile spontaneous redox method. The material reveals high electrochemical activity and excellent catalytic characteristic for alcohol electrooxidation on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in an alkaline medium. The preparation mechanism was studied by the galvanic cell effect between PdCl(4)(2-) and functional defect sites on CFCNTs. Results from UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that the reduction of PdCl(4)(2-) to metallic Pd was successfully achieved. Morphologies of PdNPs supporting on CFCNTs (PdNPs-CFCNTs) were also characterized by transmission electron micrograph. PdNPs-CFCNTs with the best electrocatalytic characteristics were obtained under the condition as: the weight ratio of Pd to CFCNTs was kept at 2:1, the temperature was kept at 70 degrees C in the synthesis, and the scan rate of the applied potential was selected at 60 mV s(-1). The results indicate that PdNPs-CFCNTs could be a great potential material in direct ethanol fuel cells and ethanol sensors.
Chen
Xiao-mei
XM
Department of Chemistry and Key Laboratory of Analytical Sciences of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
Lin
Zhi-jie
ZJ
Jia
Tian-tian
TT
Cai
Zhi-min
ZM
Huang
Xiao-li
XL
Jiang
Ya-qi
YQ
Chen
Xi
X
Chen
Guo-nan
GN