Functionalized titanium carbide as novel catalyst support for Pd catalyzed electrochemical reaction

There is significant interest in developing new catalyst supports such as metal carbides to overcome the electrochemical corrosion problem of traditional high surface area carbon. A key challenge is the dispersion and stability of the catalysts on the non-carbon based materials. This paper reports a new approach to functionalize titanium carbide by poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA), investigated as a new catalyst support for Pd catalyzed electrochemical reaction. Thermal gravimetric analysis confirmed the successful noncovalent functionalization of TiC by PDDA. Pd nanoparticles are deposited in situ on the PDDA-wrapped TiC surface through electrostatic interactions mechanism. According to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations, Pd nanoparticles with a mean size of similar to 2.9 nm are homogeneously deposited on TiC(P). Among all the samples tested, the Pd/TiC(P) catalysts exhibit the highest resistance to CO poisoning, catalytic activity and stability towards formic acid electrooxidation. This performance was attributed to a strong Pd <-> TiC interaction and the formation of oxygenated species on the TiC. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.