A Facile Preparation of Sandwich-Structured Pd/Polypyrrole-Graphene/Pd Catalysts for Formic Acid Electro-Oxidation

Abstract

Direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs) are one of the most promising power sources due to its high conversion efficiency; relatively low carbon emissions, toxicity, and flammability; convenience; and low-cost storage and transportation. However, the key challenge to large-scale commercial applications is its poor power performance and the catalyst’s high preparation cost. In this study, a new sandwich-structured Pd/polypyrrole-graphene/Pd (Pd/PPy-Gns/Pd)-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was prepared using a simple constant potential (CP) electrodeposition technique. On the basis of the unique synthetic procedure and structural advantages, the Pd/PPy-Gns/Pd shows a fast charge/mass transport rate, high electrocatalytic activity, and great stability for formic acid electro-oxidation (FAO). The mass activity of Pd/PPy-Gns/Pd electrode reaches 917 mA·mg−1Pd. The excellent catalytic activity is mainly due to the uniform embedding of Pd nanoparticles on the polypyrrole-graphene (PPy-Gns) support, which exposes more active sites, and prevents the shedding and inactivation of Pd nanoparticles. At the same time, the introduction of graphene (Gns) in the PPy further improved the conductivity of the catalyst and accelerated the transfer of electrons.

Facile Solid-State Chemical Synthesis of CoMoO4 Nanorods for High-Performance Supercapacitors

“…With the rapid advancement in the global economy and the continuously deteriorating environment, as well as diminishing non-renewable energy sources such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum, both energy and environmental issues have become two critical challenges faced by human society concerning our sustainability [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Due to their geographical limitations and intermittent nature, wind energy, solar energy, and other green energy sources often need to be converted into electricity for storage via energy storage equipment.…”

Charge Storage Properties of Ferrimagnetic BaFe12O19 and Polypyrrole–BaFe12O19 Composites

“…The goal of this investigation was the development of advanced BFO and BFOpolypyrrole (PPy) electrodes with high active mass loading for energy storage in supercapacitors. PPy is a conductive redox-active polymer that is used for many advanced energy storage and catalytic applications [26][27][28][29][30][31]. This polymer and its composites exhibit good charge storage properties, which are especially important for supercapacitors [31,32].…”