Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance(EQCM) Characterization of Electrodeposition and Catalytic Activity of Pd-based Electrocatalysts for Ethanol Oxidation

Pd was electrochemically deposited on gold-coated quartz crystals at nanogram-level. The coulombic efficiency and initial nucleation and growth mechanism of potentiostatic Pd deposition were investigated via in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance(EQCM). The coulombic efficiencies are 84%, 93% and 95% for Pd deposition at 0.3, 0.2 and 0.1 V(vs. SCE), respectively. The results of chronoamperometric measurements show that the Pd deposition proceeded by an instantaneous nucleation(at 0.3 V) or progressive nucleation(at 0.2 and 0.1 V) in a three-dimensional(3D) growth mode. The catalytic activity of Pd-based electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation was characterized in an alkaline solution. It was found that the highest mass activity for ethanol oxidation on Pd-based electrocatalyst is 1.8×104 A/(g Pd) deposited at 0.3 V for 5 s.