Effect of carbon nanofibers microstructure on electrocatalytic activities of Pd electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation in alkaline medium

Pd electrocatalysts supported on three types of carbon nanofibers (CNFs), viz. platelet CNFs (p-CNFs), fish-bone CNFs (f-CNFs) and tubular CNFs (t-CNFs) are prepared and the effect of CNFs microstructure on the activities of the electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) is investigated. The information on structural characteristics is obtained by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Raman spectroscopy. Electrochemical techniques are employed to characterize the microstructure effect of CNFs on the catalytic activities of catalysts. HRTEM images indicate the microstructure of CNFs has a powerful influence on the distribution of Pd particles. The results of the electrochemical characterization also indicate that the structure of CNFs significantly influences the catalytic activities of the electrocatalysts and p-CNFs supported Pd electrocatalyst has the best performance for ethanol oxidation in an alkaline medium because p-CNFs has the highest ratio of edge atoms to basal atoms and correspondingly the fastest electrode kinetics and strongest Pd–CNFs interaction.