The influence of ZrO₂ promoter in Pd/fCNDs-ZrO₂ catalyst towards alcohol fuel electrooxidation in alkaline media

The severe corrosion of carbon supports has attracted the development of ceramic-based support materials. Non-precious metal oxides are potential support materials for fuel cells owing to their corrosion resistance under the harsh fuel cell environment. However, they cannot be used as primary support materials because they are not good electric conductors. In this study, we demonstrate that Pd nanoparticles supported on NaOH-functionalized carbon nanodots blended with zirconium dioxide can act as stable and electroactive anode catalysts for alkaline direct alcohol fuel cells (ADAFC). The Pd/fCNDs-ZrO₂ electrocatalyst was synthesized by a sonochemical method and characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) were used to study the electrochemical activity and stability of the Pd/fCNDs-ZrO₂ catalyst towards methanol and ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. The observed results revealed that the Pd/fCNDs-ZrO₂ catalyst exhibits higher current densities (12.5 mA cm⁻² for ethanol and 20.05 mA cm⁻² for methanol) and lower poisoning rates compared to the Pd/fCNDs and commercial Pd/C catalysts. (paper)