Direct alcohol fuel cells: A novel non-platinum and alcohol inert ORR electrocatalyst

Abstract

In the present investigation, a series of binary PdxFey/C electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was synthesized in a very short time by employing a pulse-microwave assisted polyol method. The physico-chemical properties were obtained by employing the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical activity was studied by the aid of the techniques of cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode. Based on the obtained experimental results, it can be deduced that the addition of Fe increases the activity of Pd towards the reaction of oxygen reduction. More precisely, when the molar ratio between Pd and Fe was 3:1, the highest oxygen reduction activity among all the investigated PdxFey/C catalysts was obtained. It was also found that Pd3Fe1/C exhibited an oxygen reduction activity comparable to that of Pt/C, while showed almost no activity for alcohols oxidation. Moreover, in the simultaneous presence of both methanol and oxygen, Pd3Fe1/C displayed an excellent selectivity for oxygen reduction reaction. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.