Preparation and Characterization of SrCeCuO3 and its Application Assisting with Pd and Co as Nano-Catalyst for Electrooxidation of Ethylene Glycol

Recently, the electrooxidation of organic compounds (e.g., alcohols) is considered in the connection with the progress of fuel cells [1, 2]. It is an electrocatalytic reaction proceeding over the electron transfers and is intricated via the molecule adsorption on the surface of the heterogeneous catalyst and creation of poisoning intermediate. In the present study, a facile sol-gel assisted with the ultrasonic method for the synthesis of well-dispersed SrCeCuO3 nanocrystals (⁓ 50 nm) was developed in the presence of oleic acid as the surfactant. The product was characterized with using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Afterward, it was focused on the chemical reduction of Pd and Co nano-particles on SrCeCuO3 nanocrystals. The morphology and status of Pd-Co-SrCeCuO3 nano-composite were determined by using a field emission electron microscope. The catalytic activity of SrCeCuO3, Pd, Pd-Co, and Pd-Co-SrCeCuO3 for the electrooxidation of ethylene glycol was compared by the electrochemical techniques in alkali. The results presented that the integration of SrCeCuO3 mixed metal oxide to Pd-Co was effective to increasing the current density and transferred charge during the ethylene glycol electrooxidation reaction