Investigation on ethanol electrooxidation via electrodeposited Pd–Co nanostructures supported on graphene oxide

• Co nanostructures electrodeposited on RGO and spontaneously replaced with Pd.
• The Pd–Co/RGO is used as the anode electro-catalyst for ethanol oxidation.
• The Pd–Co/RGO exhibited to be a promising electrocatalyst for direct ethanol fuel cells.

Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and subsequently galvanic replacement reaction were used to synthesize the Pd–Co/RGO electrocatalyst. The morphology and the structural properties of the prepared catalyst were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and chronoamperometry (CA) techniques were employed to investigate the electrochemical behavior of the Pd–Co/RGO system as an anode electro-catalyst for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. For Pd–Co/RGO, it was evidenced that the onset potential and the peak current density are 160 mV lower and 2.5 times higher than that of Pd catalyst, respectively. By comparison of the If/Ib ratios for different electrodes, it can be conclude that the anti-poisoning ability of Pd–Co is improved by RGO as catalyst support. Also, the Pd–Co/RGO catalyst showed excellent catalytic activity, high durability and stability which indeed propose it to be as a promising electrocatalyst for future direct alcohol fuel cells.