Ceria promoted Pd/C catalysts for glucose electrooxidation in alkaline media

Carbon support materials are modified by CeO2 through a microwave decomposition method, and then CeO2-C supported Pd catalysts are synthesized by a pulse microwave assisted polyol method. The content of CeO2 is appropriately adjusted and Pd/CeO2-C catalysts with different Pd:CeO2 molar ratios are obtained and investigated for the reaction of glucose electrooxidation in alkaline media. It is found that the introduction of CeO2 onto the surface of the carbon support can significantly decrease the particle size of Pd with respect to the Pd/C case, generating sufficient OHads at lower potentials. Accordingly, the catalytic activity of Pd for glucose electrooxidation can be improved as a result of its high dispersion and the synergistic effect. It is also found that, among the Pd/CeO2-C catalysts, the one with Pd:CeO2 molar ratio of 3:1 exhibits the best performance for glucose electrooxidation, 30% higher than that of Pd/C. Moreover, the optimized catalyst presents the advantages of rapid response, high sensitivity and good tolerance to the interfering agents co-existing in the human blood with glucose. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.