Pd deposited on functionalized carbon nanotubes for the electrooxidation of ethanol in alkaline media

• Electrochemical oxidation of ethanol by Pd nanoparticles supported on NCNTs
• Improved utilization of palladium compared with OCNTs
• Stable performance up to 80 h
• High resistance against poisoning by incomplete oxidation products

Large scale commercialization of direct ethanol fuel cells is hampered by the high cost and scarcity of noble metal electrocatalysts employed at both the anode and cathode. We demonstrate improved utilization of palladium as anode catalyst for ethanol oxidation by exploiting the strong interaction between Pd nanoparticles and nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) as support. 0.85 wt% Pd supported on NCNTs achieved a specific current density of 517 A gPd− 1 compared with 421 A gPd− 1 for 0.86 wt% Pd on oxygen-functionalized carbon nanotubes. The electrocatalytic performance deteriorated only gradually and catalysis was sustained for at least 80 h.