Activation of methane on PdZn/C electrocatalysts in an acidic electrolyte at low temperatures

Abstract

PdZn/C electrocatalysts were prepared by sodium borohydride utilized as reducing agent for activation methane in an acidic medium at room temperature and in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) at 80°C. The materials prepared were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The diffractograms of the PdZn/C electrocatalysts showed only peaks associated with Pd face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. Cyclic voltammograms (CV) of all electrocatalysts after adsorption of methane shown an increment in current during the anodic scan, this effect was more pronounced for Pd(70)Zn(30)/C. In situ ATR-FTIR (Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared) experiments was not observed the formation of intermediates adsorbed for PdZn/C electrocatalysts, this behavior indicated that the methane oxidation occurs by parallel mechanisms. Polarization curves at 80°C in PEMFC show that Pd(90)Zn(10)/C has superior performance over the other electrocatalysts in methane oxidation.