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Bimetallic Pd–Fe Supported on Nitrogen-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide as Electrocatalyst for Formic Acid Oxidation

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Abstract

This study was conducted to exploit the properties of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) as support material for formic acid fuel cell. Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide was synthesized by the hydrothermal synthesis method using graphene oxide (GO) flakes and urea as a nitrogen source. Palladium and iron with controllable atomic ratio were used as the active metals. Graphene oxide and carbon nanotube-supported PdFe nanoparticles were synthesized for comparison. The structure, morphology, and chemical composition of the synthesized catalysts were ascertained by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The average particle sizes for Pd3Fe/N-rGO and Pd/N-rGO were 4.65 and 3.95 nm, respectively. The electrochemical characterizations (CO stripping, cyclic voltammetry, and chronoamperometry) showed that the Pd3Fe/N-rGO electrocatalyst had higher electrocatalytic activity and stability compared with that of Pd3Fe/rGO and Pd3Fe/CNT. The mass activity of Pd3Fe/N-rGO in 0.5 M of HCOOH and 0.5 M of H2SO4 solutions was 1463.9 mAmg−1 Pd, which was 3.3 and 1.35 times that of the activity obtained with graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes with the same composition, respectively. The superior performance of the Pd3Fe/N-rGO catalyst was ascribed to the presence of nitrogen functionalities in the nitrogen-doped reduced GO and the synergistic interaction between Pd and Fe nanoparticles. Nitrogen-doped reduced GO promoted the formation of smaller and narrowly distributed nanoparticles and exerted favorable electronic effects because of electron transfer from N to Pd. Therefore, Pd3Fe/N-rGO can serve as a potential electrocatalyst for the oxidation of formic acid.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Faisal University via annual research grant (no. 150212). The author would also like to thank Dr. Said Mansur, Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, for helping in characterizations.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    SK Safdar Hossain

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Hossain, S.S. Bimetallic Pd–Fe Supported on Nitrogen-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide as Electrocatalyst for Formic Acid Oxidation. Arab J Sci Eng 46, 6543–6556 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-020-05192-0

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