Fashedemi O.O., Miller H.A., Marchionni A., Vizza F., Ozoemena K.I.
Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Istituto di Chimica Dei Composti Organometallici, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (ICCOM-CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto, Fiorentino, Italy; Energy Materials, Materials Science and Manufacturing, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria, South Africa
Fashedemi, O.O., Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Miller, H.A., Istituto di Chimica Dei Composti Organometallici, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (ICCOM-CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto, Fiorentino, Italy; Marchionni, A., Istituto di Chimica Dei Composti Organometallici, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (ICCOM-CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto, Fiorentino, Italy; Vizza, F., Istituto di Chimica Dei Composti Organometallici, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (ICCOM-CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto, Fiorentino, Italy; Ozoemena, K.I., Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa, Energy Materials, Materials Science and Manufacturing, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria, South Africa
Half-cell reactions and alkaline direct ethylene glycol and glycerol fuel cells (DEGFC and DGFC) have been studied on Pd-based ternary core-shell (FeCo@Fe@Pd) nanocatalyst using multi-walled carbon nanotubes bearing carboxylic (MWCNT-COOH) and sulfonic acid (MWCNT-SO3H) as supporting platforms. The core-shell-shell nature of this nanocatalyst, obtained via the "microwave-induced top-down nanostructuring and decoration", was clearly proven from atomic resolution transmission electron microscopy (ARTEM). The functional groups of the MWCNTs show a huge impact on the physico-chemical properties of the FeCo@Fe@Pd nanocatalyst towards the electrocatalytic oxidation of EG and GLY in alkaline media. The FeCo@Fe@Pd on -COOH-treated MWCNTs showed the small particle size of ca. 7.4 nm, uniform loading of the catalyst on the support, large electrochemically-active surface area and enhanced electrocatalytic activity compared to the FeCo@Fe@Pd on -SO3H-bearing MWCNTs. As a preliminary test, FeCo@Fe@Pd/MWCNT-COOH was used for passive, air-breathing anion-exchange membrane based fuel cells (AEM-DEGFC and AEM-DGFC). The analysis of the exhaust products, established using NMR spectroscopy, revealed a high selectivity towards the complete oxidation of both EG and GLY under benign experimental conditions. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.
Alkaline fuel cells; Alkalinity; Direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFC); Electrocatalysis; Electrooxidation; Ethylene; Ethylene glycol; Fuel cells; Functional groups; Gas fuel purification; Glycerol; Ion exchange membranes; Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCN); Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Oxidation; Particle size; Polyols; Shells (structures); Transmission electron microscopy; Yarn; Anion exchange membrane; Electro-catalytic oxidation; Electrocatalytic activity; Electrochemically active surface areas; Experimental conditions; Functionalized-MWCNT; Physicochemical property; Product selectivities; Palladium