Electrocatalytic Activities of Pd-Ni Nanoparticles Obtained on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes towards Oxygen Evolution in 1M KOH

Pd and Pd-Ni nanoparticles were synthesized on the surface of a new catalytic support, modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), by chemical precipitation method at 900C and their physicochemical and electrocatalytic properties towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1M KOH have been investigated using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, cyclic and steady state voltammetries. It is observed that introduction of Ni from 0.6 to 1.7 wt% increases the electrocatalytic activity for the OER of the base metal (Pd) attached to the surface of MWCNTs (C) showing the greatest activity with 1.1 wt% Ni (i.e., PdNi0.5/C). At E = 0.55 V vs. SCE in 1M KOH at 250C, the apparent electrocatalytic activity of the PdNi0.5/C (1.1 wt%) electrode(~ 45 mAcm-2) was more than 90 times higher than that of the base Pd/C electrode (~ 0.4 mAcm-2).