Electrocatalytic Oxidations of Formic Acid and Ethanol over Pd Catalysts Supported on a Doped Polypyrrole-Carbon Composite

Abstract

In this study, a highly efficient Pd catalyst supported on a conducting polymer-carbon composite was prepared for electro-oxidations of ethanol and formic acid. A polypyrrole-carbon composite was synthesized and modified by doping camphor sulfonic acid (CSA) during the polymerization step of pyrrole at room temperature. The resulting CSA-doped polypyrrole-carbon composite (PPyCC) showed significantly increased specific surface area and enhanced electrical conductivity compared with a polypyrrole-carbon composite without doping (PPyC). From the electrochemical tests, it was observed that the Pd-supported on CSA-doped polypyrrole-carbon composite (Pd/PPyCC) exhibited much larger electrochemical surface area (ECSA), enhanced catalytic activity and high durability towards the oxidations of ethanol and formic acid. The results indicate that the camphor sulfonic acid serving as both dopant and surfactant could improve the electrical conductivity and morphology of support material with enhanced interaction between Pd nanoparticles and support material.