Materials Science Forum, Vol.514-516, 456-459, 2006
Preparation and characterization of Pd-black films for electrocatalysis
Spontaneously-deposited Pd-black films were prepared on a Ni mesh. Characterization of the films morphology was performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy. Cyclic voltammetry in 0.1 M NaOH was used to characterize the voltammetric profile in the H-adsorption/absorption region. Contrasting to smooth Pd, the results revealed that the H-adsorption peak can be detected using this electrode. It was found that the displacement metal reaction leads to codeposition of Ni during the Pd-black film preparation. The ability of these electrodes to be used on the electrohydrogenation of organic molecules was evaluated using 3-buten-1-ol as a test molecule. It was also analysed the stability of the electrodes upon reusing the same electrode in repetitive electrolysis. It was concluded that the films present a very good catalytic activity to electrohydrogenation but show poor adherence to the substrate when are re-used.