The Investigation of the Performance of Bimetallic Nanocatalysts to Improve the Oxidation Process of Ethylene Glycol and Glycerol in the Fuel Cell

In this work, Pd-Zn bimetallic nanoparticles were synthesized in different atomic ratios via a sonochemical method on pretreatment Vulcan XC-72R carbon. The synthesized structures were characterized by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy, energy dispersive x-ray, powder X-ray diffractometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Electrocatalysis activity of synthesized nanostructures for ethylene glycol and glycerol as fuel was investigated and compared with monometallic palladium by cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry analysis. Based on the obtained results, the highest and lowest activity in the oxidation process was obtained for Pd2Zn/C and Pd/C, respectively. The investigation of the voltammetric oxidation mechanism of these alcohols on the Pd2Zn/C coated anode indicates that the process is mass controlled and the species diffused into the electrode for oxidation. The results suggest that this bimetallic nanocatalyst is a good candidate as an anodic catalyst for the direct alcohol fuel cells.