Performance of carbon-supported palladium and palladium ruthenium catalysts for alkaline membrane direct ethanol fuel cells

The activity of carbon supported palladium-based catalysts towards ethanol oxidation reaction in alkaline medium is investigated. To this end, Pd and Pd sub(x)Ru (x = 1, 6, 12) materials are synthesized supported on Vulcan XC72R by a modified impregnation method. These materials are characterized ph...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of hydrogen energy 2016-06, Vol.41 (21), p.8954-8962
Main Authors: Carrión-Satorre, S., Montiel, M., Escudero-Cid, R., Fierro, J.L.G., Fatás, E., Ocón, P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catalysis
Catalysts
Ethanol
Ethyl alcohol
Fuel cells
Membranes
Oxidation
Palladium
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Summary:The activity of carbon supported palladium-based catalysts towards ethanol oxidation reaction in alkaline medium is investigated. To this end, Pd and Pd sub(x)Ru (x = 1, 6, 12) materials are synthesized supported on Vulcan XC72R by a modified impregnation method. These materials are characterized physicochemically and their composition varies between 40 and 50 wt. % of metal content. The mean size of nanoparticles is below 4 nm, and the size of the majority of particles ranges from 2 to 6 nm. The catalytic activity of these samples is also tested in half-cell and alkaline membrane direct ethanol fuel cell (AMDEFC). Lower onset potential and higher oxidation current densities is observed in palladium-rich bimetallic catalysts. By using the prepared samples as anode of AMDEFC and a commercial membrane of polybenzimidazole as solid electrolyte, the maximum power density is observed for Pd sub(12)Ru/C, 97 mW cm super(-2), almost doubling the value achieved by the catalyst Pd/C (50 mW cm super(-2)), and above the obtained by commercial PtRu/C catalyst (89 mW cm super(-2)).
ISSN:0360-3199
DOI:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.04.053