Comparative electrooxidation of C1–C4 alcohols on Pd|CC nanoparticle anode catalyst in alkaline medium

• CC is a good matrix for dispersion of catalyst particles in fuel cell applications.
• Pd|CC compared to Pt|CC is better catalyst for alcohols oxidation in alkali medium.
• Lowest Ea & highest oxidation currents was obtained for ethanol oxidation on Pd|CC.
• Lowest onset potential was obtained for 2-Propanol oxidation on Pd|CC.
• At low potentials 2-Propanol oxidation on Pd|CC showed the best performance.

The comparative studies of methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol and 2-butanol electrooxidation were carried out on carbon-ceramic electrode (CCE) potentiostatically modified with Pd nano-particles. The Characterization of catalytic layer by Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that well-dispersed catalytic particles with high density have been formed on CC substrate. Voltammetry, Chronoamperometry (CA), Polarization study and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to investigate the alcohols oxidation reactions. The relevant parameters such as the Tafel slope and activation energy (Ea) were determined. This study upholds the fact that 2-propanol is a promising fuel candidate for a direct alkaline alcohol fuel cell.