Pdsn/C Electrocatalysts With Different Atomic Ratios For Ethanol Electro-Oxidation In Alkaline Media

PdSn/C with different Pd:Sn atomic ratios (90:10, 80:20. 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50) were prepared by borohydride reduction and tested for ethanol electro-oxidation in alkaline media. X-ray diffractograms patterns of the obtained materials showed the characteristic peaks of face-centered cubic structure of Pd, however, the PdSn alloy formation was not observed for all electrocatalysts. Also, the peaks of metallic Sn or SnO2 phases were not clearly observed in the diffractograms suggesting the formation of amorphous phases. The electro-oxidation of ethanol was studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry at room temperature and PdSn/C (50:50) showed the best performance in these conditions. PdSn/C (50:50) and (90:10) were tested in single fuel cell at 75 degrees C and the highest power density was obtained with PdSn/C (90:10).