Electrocatalytic activity of PdNi/C catalysts for allyl alcohol oxidation in alkaline solution

The electrocatalytic oxidation of allyl alcohol on Pd/C and PdxNiy/C catalysts in alkaline solution has been investigated. The PdxNiy/C catalysts were prepared by chemical co-deposition of palladium and nickel and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). The results of cyclic voltammetric and chronoamperometric measurements show that the PdxNiy/C catalysts exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic activity and stability for the oxidation of allyl alcohol and that in a wide range of the x:y ratios the PdxNiy/C catalysts exhibit no much difference in activity in terms of per unit mass of palladium. The results of this study reveal that the addition of nickel to palladium leads to an improvement in the electrocatalytic activity and stability of the palladium and that the PdxNiy/C catalysts are effective for the oxidation of allyl alcohol in alkaline solution. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.