Enhanced methanol electrooxidation by electroactivated Pd/Ni(OH)2/N-rGO catalyst

Direct methanol fuel cells, in which electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol takes place, are one of the most promising technologies for facilitating the shift to renewable energy sources. However, they still suffer from high-catalyst-prices, as well as sluggish kinetics of methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). Therefore, herein, palladium/Nickel(II) hydroxide/nitrogen doped reduced graphene oxide (Pd/Ni(OH)2/N-rGO) hybrid was fabricated via facile two-step solution method and utilized as electrocatalyst for MOR. The in-situ electrochemical activation pre-treatment was proposed to engineer a highly active electrocatalyst. The Pd/Ni(OH)2/N-rGO, which had distinctive structural features along with robust synergistic effects, outperformed the commercial Pd electrocatalyst in terms of catalytic activity towards MOR, with elevated anodic peak current density values. The insitu electrochemical activation pre-treatment lead to 3.3, 3.0, and 2.0-fold increase in activity of Pd/Ni(OH)2/N-rGO, Pd/N-rGO, and Pd/C, respectively. This research lays the door for a unique technique to manufacture high-performance, low-cost electrocatalysts that might be used in fuel cell technology instead of existing Pd electrocatalysts.(c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A palladium/nickel(II) hydroxide/nitrogen doped reduced graphene oxide (Pd/Ni(OH)2/N-rGO) hybrid was fabricated via a simple two-step solution method and utilized as electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). In-situ electrochemical activation pre-treatment was proposed to enhance the catalyst's activity. The Pd/Ni(OH)2/N-rGO outperformed commercial Pd electrocatalyst in terms of catalytic activity towards MOR, with increased anodic peak current density.