Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) are efficient converters of chemical energy into electrical energy. DEFCs operate at low temperatures, and an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte are the main constituents. In alkaline media, electrocatalysts, responsible for promoting anodic and cathodic reactions, are generally composed of palladium supported on carbon black. Other materials have been studied in order to make the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) more efficient. In this work, the effect of commercial TiO2 as alternative support to Pd-based catalysts for the EOR was evaluated. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, linear voltammetry and chronoamperometry, aiming to determine the effect of different supports on the performance of the EOR.
Resumo Activated nanoporous biocarbon (aNBC) was prepared using E. grandis wood as a precursor material. Oxidated activated nanoporous biocarbon (ox-aNBC) sample was obtained from the aNBC by oxidation with nitric acid. The samples were tested as Pt nanoparticles catalysts support for ethanol oxidation reaction and as electrode materials for supercapacitors. The porous structure, chemical properties, and the structural and morphological characteristic of the materials were correlated with their electrochemical behaviour. Biocarbon materials showed similar high specific surface area. The oxidation treatment increases the content of the oxygenated and nitrogenated surface functional groups but without appreciably change in the nanostructure characteristic. The aNBC supported Pt nanocatalyst has better electrocatalytic performance for EOR. Oxygenated functional groups have a marked effect on the supercapacitors electrode behaviour, increasing the total electrical capacitance by pseudocapacitive contribution, but with a negative effect on the cell electrical resistance and cell response time.
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