GCE surface coating with PdNiAg nanocatalysts to ensure high performance and stability in alcohol oxidation

Abstract

Fuel cells as a clean energy source largely depend on the design of effective, long-lasting, and affordable electrocatalysts. In this context, chain-like palladium–nickel–silver (PdNiAg) nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized using the chemical reduction method. The synthesized PdNiAg NPs are used for electro-oxidation of methanol, ethanol, and ethylene glycol. After oxidation studies, the anodic peak currents for methanol, ethylene glycol, and ethanol are found to be 43.92 mA cm⁻², 26.77 mA cm⁻², and 21.62 mA cm⁻², respectively. Long-term stability tests demonstrate that the catalyst exhibits a current density 1.6 times higher than that of ethylene glycol, and 2.15 times higher than that of ethanol in chronoamperometry (CA) analysis during methanol oxidation. The catalyst is shown to be a diffusion-controlled system for all three alcohols. It is observed to be tolerant to carbon monoxide (CO) and to have an electrochemically active surface area. The obtained catalyst exhibits high electrocatalytic performance, especially in methanol oxidation, and is a promising candidate for use in direct alcohol fuel cell (DAFC) systems. Within the scope of the study, catalysts with specific properties for different alcohol groups are synthesized, and important findings are presented to establish a position in the application field.