Ce0.25Sr1.75NiO3.75 Assisting with Pd and Co Nanoparticles: Synthesize, Characterization and Catalytic Potentiality for Ethylene Glycol Electrooxidation

A fuel cell is an electrochemical’ device operating at the different temperatures that convert the chemical energy of a fuel (e.g., alcohol) and an oxidant in the presence of a catalyst to the water, CO2, heat, and electricity [1]. Lately, the metal oxide composites have attracted significant attention as electrocatalysts owing to their low cost, easy preparation, and stable structure [2]. Ethylene glycol can be introduced as a suitable fuel for the fuel cells, due to its low vapor pressure, lower price, easier storage and lower flammability compared to other organic compounds [3]. In this work, the Ce0.25Sr1.75NiO3.75 mixed metal oxide was synthesized in nano-size (⁓ 24 nm) by the co-precipitation method in the presence of oleic acid as surfactant and characterized via spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. Then, Pd and Co nanoparticles were chemically reduced on as-prepared Ce0.25Sr1.75NiO3.75 in chitosan matrix. The physicochemical characteristics and electrochemical behavior were determined for Pd-Co-Ce0.25Sr1.75NiO3.75. The electro-catalytic ability of Ce0.25Sr1.75NiO3.75, Pd, Pd-Co, and Pd-Co-Ce0.25Sr1.75NiO3.75 toward ethylene glycol oxidation was compared via the electrochemical studies in alkaline media. The results showed that the incorporation of as-prepared mixed oxide to Pd-Co was efficient to improve the current density and the transferred charge during the electrooxidation of ethylene glycol