PtPdNi Catalysts Supported on Porous Carbon for Ethanol Electro-oxidation

Abstract

In this work, we prepared four electrocatalysts based on trimetallic PtPdNi nanoparticles on different carbon supports, i. e., i) two activated carbons produced from biomass, ii) micro‐mesoporous carbon synthesized by the nanocasting method, and iii) commercial carbon black. The electrocatalytic activity of the prepared materials was tested in the electro‐oxidation of ethanol in alkaline medium. Well‐distributed nanoparticles with sizes in the range of 3.5–5.2 nm were obtained through galvanic replacement. The bulk Pt, Pd and Ni contents were about 65, 25 and 15 at. %, measured by EDX and ICP‐AES. By XPS the surface Pt : Pd atomic ratios were in the range of 1.82–2.2. Electrochemical experiments showed that the trimetallic nanoparticles deposited over micro‐mesoporous carbon material exhibit the highest electrochemical activity towards ethanol electro‐oxidation in alkaline medium. Results showed that both synthetic carbon and biomass‐derived carbon are suitable materials to support electrocatalysts in low‐temperature fuel cells.