The development of the alkaline anion exchange membrane (AEM) for the direct liquid fuel cell opened up opportunities for the use of new fuels (that oxidized inefficiently in PEM fuel cells) and new catalysts (that corroded easily in PEM fuel cells). The first fuel studied in depth was ethanol because it oxidizes much more efficiently in alkaline media than acidic media.<br/>Various combinations of Pd:Cu were tested and compared in each polyalcohol fuel, EG, PG, and G. We observed that <i>any</i> quantity of Cu added to the Pd produced an increase in oxidation rate compared with pure Pd for all three polyalcohol fuels. We also observed a down-shift in d-band center as observed by XPS.<br/>We hypothesize that the addition of Cu to the Pd results in a combination of the electronic and bifunctional effects. The electronic effect is caused by perturbations in the electronic structure of Pd, the primary catalyst, induced by the Cu. The bifunctional effect is caused by the co-catalysis of Pd and Cu directly on the surface of the catalyst.

PdCu/C catalysts for the electrochemical oxidation of renewable polyalcohols

251st National Meeting (2016)

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