scholarly journals Effect of Sn Doping on Pd Electro-Catalysts for Enhanced Electro-Catalytic Activity towards Methanol and Ethanol Electro-Oxidation in Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2725
Author(s):  
Cyril Tlou Selepe ◽  
Sandile Surprise Gwebu ◽  
Thabo Matthews ◽  
Tebogo Abigail Mashola ◽  
Ludwe Luther Sikeyi ◽  
...  

Carbon nano-onions (CNOs) were successfully synthesized by employing the flame pyrolysis (FP) method, using flaxseed oil as a carbon source. The alcohol reduction method was used to prepare Pd/CNOs and Pd-Sn/CNOs electro-catalysts, with ethylene glycol as the solvent and reduction agent. The metal-nanoparticles were supported on the CNO surface without adjusting the pH of the solution. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images reveal CNOs with concentric graphite ring morphology, and also PdSn nanoparticles supported on the CNOs. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) patterns confirm that CNOs are amorphous and show the characteristic diffraction peaks of Pd. There is a shifting of Pd diffraction peaks to lower angles upon the addition of Sn compared to Pd/CNOs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results also confirm the doping of Pd with Sn to form a PdSn alloy. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) displays oxygen, hydroxyl, carboxyl, and carbonyl, which facilitates the dispersion of Pd and Sn nanoparticles. Raman spectrum displays two prominent peaks of carbonaceous materials which correspond to the D and G bands. The Pd-Sn/CNOs electro-catalyst demonstrates improved electro-oxidation of methanol and ethanol performance compared to Pd/CNOs and commercial Pd/C electro-catalysts under alkaline conditions.

Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Arif Khan ◽  
Nafarizal Nayan ◽  
Shadiullah Shadiullah ◽  
Mohd Khairul Ahmad ◽  
Chin Fhong Soon

In the present work, a facile one-step hydrothermal synthesis of well-defined stabilized CuO nanopetals and its surface study by advanced nanocharacterization techniques for enhanced optical and catalytic properties has been investigated. Characterization by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis confirmed existence of high crystalline CuO nanopetals with average length and diameter of 1611.96 nm and 650.50 nm, respectively. The nanopetals are monodispersed with a large surface area, controlled morphology, and demonstrate the nanocrystalline nature with a monoclinic structure. The phase purity of the as-synthesized sample was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. A significantly wide absorption up to 800 nm and increased band gap were observed in CuO nanopetals. The valance band (VB) and conduction band (CB) positions at CuO surface are measured to be of +0.7 and −1.03 eV, respectively, using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which would be very promising for efficient catalytic properties. Furthermore, the obtained CuO nanopetals in the presence of hydrogen peroxide ( H 2 O 2 ) achieved excellent catalytic activities for degradation of methylene blue (MB) under dark, with degradation rate > 99% after 90 min, which is significantly higher than reported in the literature. The enhanced catalytic activity was referred to the controlled morphology of monodispersed CuO nanopetals, co-operative role of H 2 O 2 and energy band structure. This work contributes to a new approach for extensive application opportunities in environmental improvement.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 4340
Author(s):  
Han-Wei Chang ◽  
Chia-Wei Su ◽  
Jia-Hao Tian ◽  
Yu-Chen Tsai

Zn-Co-S ball-in-ball hollow sphere (BHS) was successfully prepared by solvothermal sulfurization method. An efficient strategy to synthesize Zn-Co-S BHS consisted of multilevel structures by controlling the ionic exchange reaction was applied to obtain great performance electrode material. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a conductive agent were uniformly introduced with Zn-Co-S BHS to form Zn-Co-S BHS/CNTs and expedited the considerable electrocatalytic behavior toward glucose electro-oxidation in alkaline medium. In this study, characterization with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used for investigating the morphological and physical/chemical properties and further evaluating the feasibility of Zn-Co-S BHS/CNTs in non-enzymatic glucose sensing. Electrochemical methods (cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA)) were performed to investigate the glucose sensing performance of Zn-Co-S BHS/CNTs. The synergistic effect of Faradaic redox couple species of Zn-Co-S BHS and unique conductive network of CNTs exhibited excellent electrochemical catalytic ability towards the glucose electro-oxidation, which revealed linear range from 5 to 100 μM with high sensitivity of 2734.4 μA mM−1 cm−2, excellent detection limit of 2.98 μM, and great selectivity in the presence of dopamine, uric acid, ascorbic acid, and fructose. Thus, Zn-Co-S BHS/CNTs would be expected to be a promising material for non-enzymatic glucose sensing.


2013 ◽  
Vol 275-277 ◽  
pp. 1733-1736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zi Tao Yang ◽  
Bo Wen Cheng ◽  
Yong Nan Zhao

NiFe2O4 nanoparticles was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal decomposition of a gel of Ni-Fe-EG (EG=ethylene glycol) in water solution. The crystal structure and morphologies of the products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). All the diffraction peaks in XRD patterns revealed that the as-synthesized nanoparticles were pure NiFe2O4. TEM images disclosed that the particle sizes of the nanoparticles were in the range of 10 − 25nm. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge/discharge results tested in 6M KOH solution revealed a double layer capacitive behavior and a revisable charge/discharge property.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhihong Sun ◽  
Faliang Cheng ◽  
Xiangcheng Dai

Highly ordered Pd nanowire arrays (NWAs) prepared by electrodeposition method using the fresh prepared anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) as the template have been characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electrochemical measurements. SEM results revealed that the brush-shaped Pd NWAs are dispersed uniformly. The diameter and length of the obtained Pd NWAs are about 50 nm and 850 nm, respectively. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic activity of Pd NWAs electrode for propanol oxidation in alkaline media has also been studied. It is found that the obtained nanostructurs exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of propanol, demonstrating the potential application in portable direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs).


Catalysts ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Won Jung ◽  
Won-Il Kim ◽  
Jeong-Rang Kim ◽  
Kyeongseok Oh ◽  
Hyoung Lim Koh

Pt–Sn/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared by the direct reduction method at temperatures from 450 to 900 °C, denoted as an SR series (SR450 to SR900 according to reduction temperature). Direct reduction was performed immediately after catalyst drying without a calcination step. The activity of SR catalysts and a conventionally prepared (Cal600) catalyst were compared to evaluate its effect on direct reduction. Among the SR catalysts, SR550 showed overall higher conversion of propane and propylene selectivity than Cal600. The nano-sized dispersion of metals on SR550 was verified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation. The phases of the bimetallic Pt–Sn alloys were examined by X-ray diffraction, TEM, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Two characteristic peaks of Pt3Sn and PtSn alloys were observed in the XRD patterns, and these phases affected the catalytic performance. Moreover, EDS confirmed the formation of Pt3Sn and PtSn alloys on the catalyst surface. In terms of catalytic activity, the Pt3Sn alloy showed better performance than the PtSn alloy. Relationships between the intermetallic interactions and catalytic activity were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, qualitative analysis of coke formation was conducted after propane dehydrogenation using differential thermal analysis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Long-long Wang ◽  
Hong-min Mao ◽  
Xiao-jin Zhou ◽  
Qun-jie Xu ◽  
Qiao-xia Li

Well-dispersed and low Pt content Pt–Ru/C nanoparticles were prepared by a developed impregnating reduction method with sodium citrate as stabilizer. The as-prepared Pt–Ru/C catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. TEM showed that the Pt–Ru particles were quite uniformly distributed on the surface of the carbon with an average particle size of 3.5–4.5 nm. The effect of pH values on methanol electro-oxidation reaction was examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). Pre-adsorbed CO monolayer stripping was used to evaluate the antipoisoning ability. The results showed that Pt–Ru/C (pH = 8) catalyst had the highest catalytic activity and stability toward the oxidation of methanol. Finally, comparing Pt–Ru/C (Pt–Ru 20 wt.%, Pt/Ru = 1:1) catalysts with Pt/C (Pt 20 wt.%), the onset potential was 200 mV lower and electrochemical active area was much bigger.


2014 ◽  
Vol 93 ◽  
pp. 41-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Lázaro ◽  
C. Alegre ◽  
M.J. Nieto-Monge ◽  
D. Sebastián ◽  
M.E. Gálvez ◽  
...  

The objective of this work is to study the behavior of Nitrogen-doped carbons as supports of catalysts for the electro-oxidation of methanol. Two carbon materials have been considered: a) carbon xerogels (CXG), highly mesoporous, whose porosity and pore size distribution are easily performed during the synthesis method; b) carbon nanofibers (CNF), which have a high electrical conductivity, good behavior in high temperature conditions and resistance to acid/basic media. Meanwhile, a commercial carbon black (Vulcan XC72R) which is commonly used in manufacturing of electrocatalysts fuel cells was used for comparison. Nitrogen was introduced into the CXG during the synthesis process, what is commonly referred as doping, by including melamine as a reactant. In contrast, N-groups were created over CNF by post-treatment with: ammonia (25%), urea (98%), melamine (99%) and ethylenediamine (99.5%), with a carbon: nitrogen molar ratio 1:0.6. N-containing carbon materials were characterized by elemental analysis, nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), SEM-EDX and TEM to determinate the amount and forms of nitrogen introduced. Pt-catalysts were prepared by the microemulsion method. The influence of the nitrogen doping and functionalization on the catalytic behavior in the electrochemical oxidation of methanol was evaluated by different physicochemical and electrochemical analysis.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2244
Author(s):  
Ahmed Elsheikh ◽  
James McGregor

The direct use of ethanol in fuel cells presents unprecedented economic, technical, and environmental opportunities in energy conversion. However, complex challenges need to be resolved. For instance, ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) requires breaking the rigid C–C bond and results in the generation of poisoning carbonaceous species. Therefore, new designs of the catalyst electrode are necessary. In this work, two trimetallic PdxAgyNiz/C samples are prepared using a facile borohydride reduction route. The catalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and evaluated for EOR through cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The XRD patterns have shown a weak alloying potential between Pd, and Ag prepared through co-reduction technique. The catalysts prepared have generally shown enhanced performance compared to previously reported ones, suggesting that the applied synthesis may be suitable for catalyst mass production. Moreover, the addition of Ag and Ni has improved the Pd physiochemical properties and electrocatalytic performance towards EOR in addition to reducing cell fabrication costs. In addition to containing less Pd, The PdAgNi/C is the higher performing of the two trimetallic samples presenting a 2.7 A/mgPd oxidation current peak. The Pd4Ag2Ni1/C is higher performing in terms of its steady-state current density and electrochemical active surface area.


Catalysts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 751
Author(s):  
Dan Chen ◽  
Shien Pei ◽  
Zhishun He ◽  
Haibo Shao ◽  
Jianming Wang ◽  
...  

A series of PdSn binary catalysts with varied molar ratios of Pd to Sn are synthesized on B and N dual-doped graphene supporting materials. The catalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Formic acid electro-oxidation reaction is performed on these catalysts, and the results reveal that the optimal proportion of Pd:Sn is 3:1. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements show that when compared with 3Pd1Sn/graphene, B and N co-doping into the graphene sheet can tune the electronic structure of graphene, favoring the formation of small-sized metallic nanoparticles with good dispersion. On the other hand, when compared with the monometallic counterparts, the incorporation of Sn can generate oxygenated species that help to remove the intermediates, exposing more active Pd sites. Moreover, the electrochemical tests illustrate that 3Pd1Sn/BN-G catalyst with a moderate amount of Sn exhibits the best catalytic activity and stability on formic acid electro-oxidation, owing to the synergistic effect of the Sn doping and the B, N co-doping graphene substrate.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Jun Sun ◽  
Bin Xu ◽  
Yu Shi ◽  
Lin Yang ◽  
Hai-le Ma

The aim of this study was to develop a thermally and operationally stable trypsin through covalent immobilization onto chitosan magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4 @CTS). The successful preparation of the Fe3O4 @CTS nanoparticles was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which indicated that the prepared Fe3O4 @CTS nanoparticles have superparamagnetic properties, with an average size of approximately 17 nm. Then, trypsin was covalently immobilized onto the Fe3O4 @CTS nanoparticles at a high loading capacity (149.25 mg/g). The FTIR data demonstrated that the trypsin had undergone a conformational change compared with free trypsin, and the Michaelis constant (Km) and the maximum hydrolysis reaction rate (Vmax) showed that the trypsin immobilized on the Fe3O4 @CTS had a lower affinity for BAEE and lower activity compared with free trypsin. However, the immobilized trypsin showed higher activity than free trypsin at pH 6.0 and in alkaline conditions and retained more than 84% of its initial activity at 60°C after 8 h incubation. Its excellent performance across a broader pH range and high thermal stability, as well as its effective hydrolysis of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and its reusability, make it more attractive than free trypsin for application in protein digestion.


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