High activity of Pd–In2O3/CNTs electrocatalyst for electro-oxidation of ethanol

Pd–In2O3/CNTs composite catalysts were prepared by using chemical reduction and hydrothermal reaction process. The structure and morphology by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microspectroscopy (TEM); and activity of the composite catalysts for ethanol electro-oxidation were investigated by using cyclic voltammogram and chronoamperometry in alkaline media. The results showed that the addition of nanoparticles In2O3 into Pd catalysts could significantly promote the catalytic activity for ethanol electro-oxidation. The composite electrode with the mass ratio of Pd to In2O3 of 10:3 (palladium loading of 0.20 mg cm−2) showed the highest electrocatalytic activity for ethanol oxidation.