Ethanol electrooxidation at carbon paste electrode modified with Pd–ZnO nanoparticles

• The electrocatalytic and analytical performance of palladium–zinc oxide nanoparticles modified carbon paste electrode was investigated.
• The electrode was used for determination and oxidation of ethanol in alkaline media.
• Palladium–zinc oxide nanoparticle is a good candidate for application in ethanol sensor.

The electrocatalytic and analytical performance of palladium–zinc oxide nanoparticles modified carbon paste electrode (Pd–ZnO/CPE) for determination and oxidation of ethanol were studied in alkaline media. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to characterize Pd–ZnO nanoparticles. The electrochemical characterizations were performed using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry techniques. The results show that the electrode reveals excellent electrocatalytic characteristics for ethanol oxidation such as high catalytic activity, stability and tolerance toward poisoning effects. Also, the excellent analytical performance for ethanol determination confirms the applicability of this electrode as a nonenzymatic amperometric ethanol sensor. This sensor has the advantages of low detection limit (20.3 μM), two wide linear range (1.99–490.90 mM and 0.491–3.355 M), and good long-term stability (more than 120 days) for ethanol determination. All results showed that palladium–zinc oxide nanoparticle is a good candidate for application in ethanol sensor and ethanol fuel cells.

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