Tailor-designed nanoparticle-based PdNiSn catalyst as a potential anode for glycerol fuel cells

Abstract In order to effectively use glycerol as a fuel in direct glycerol fuel cells, a catalyst that can break the C–C bond and enhance the electro-oxidation of glycerol to CO2 is necessary. In this particular investigation, a palladium-nickel-tin nanocomposite electrodeposited on a glassy carbon electrode (PdNiSn/GC) exhibited excellent activity towards the electro-oxidation of glycerol, thanks to the synergistic effect of the catalyst composition. The PdNiSn/GC surface generated a peak current (I p) that was 2.5 times higher than that obtained at a Pd/GC electrode, with a cathodic shift in the onset potential (E onset) of approximately 300 mV. Additionally, the current obtained at the PdNiSn/GC surface remained stable during continuous electrolysis. Capacitance measurements were used to interpret the results of the electrocatalytic activity, and high-performance liquid chromatography indicated that the products of the glycerol electro-oxidation reaction were oxalic acid and formic acid, which were subsequently oxidized to CO2, as revealed by the charge calculations. The results depict that the synergy between Pd, β-Ni(OH)2, and SnO2 is crucial for boosting GEOR through enhancing the C–C bond cleavage and completely oxidize the reaction intermediates to CO2

N-Co-Cd-doped TiO2 nanocomposite for efficient dye-synthesized solar cells

The current study introduces an efficient titania-based nanocomposite for dye-synthesized solar cells (DSSCs), where nitrogen-cobalt-cadmium-doped titania (N-Co-Cd-doped TiO2) prepared using sol–gel method could efficiently boost the photoelectric properties of DSSCs. Material characterization of the prepared N-Co-Cd-doped TiO2 is performed using scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to reveal the surface morphology and composition. X-ray diffraction is used to determine the phases of the prepared nanocomposite. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and differential reflectance spectroscopy are used to disclose the absorption region and to calculate the energy gap (Eg) for the nanocomposite. The results confirm that N-Co-Cd-doped TiO2 photoanode could successfully improve the charge transport in DSSCs as revealed by current–voltage measurements. Eg values for N-Co-Cd doped TiO2 are found to be 2.9 eV. Moreover, the power conversion efficiency of DSSCs using N-Co-Cd-doped TiO2 is examined in fluorescent dye and reaches 5.4 % (about eight times of that obtained using TiO2 (0.7 %))