Influence of electrodeposition regime and Sn:Pd ratios in Sn-Pd electrocatalysts on ethanol oxidation reaction

A series of bimetallic Sn-Pd catalysts were prepared by a template-free two step electrodeposition method. According to this method, Sn was electrodeposited firstly in potentiostatic or galvanostatic regime on Cu electrodes in the form of dendrites, then Pd was galvanostatically electrodeposited in the second step on the electrode with the electrodeposited Sn dendrites. The produced Sn-Pd electrocatalysts were compared with an electrocatalyst obtained by Pd electrodeposition on a bare Cu electrode. The morphological and elemental analysis of Sn-Pd and Pd electrocatalysts was performed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. The dendrites of various shapes and degree of branching were obtained by Sn deposition depending on electrodeposition regime, while Pd was electrodeposited in a form of compact Pd islands on both Sn dendrites and the Cu electrode. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was applied for the electrochemical examination of Sn-Pd and Pd catalysts towards the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) in the alkaline solution. The electrocatalyst Sn0.6-Pd0.4 with an atomic ratio of 60 at.% Sn-40 at.% Pd showed higher oxidation efficiency and better tolerance towards intermediate species in EOR than the other examined electrocatalysts . It was shown that the lower fraction of Pd, relative to Sn, was crucial to achieving optimal synergy of Sn with Pd thus contributing to enhanced electrochemical behavior regarding EOR.