Electrochemical Analysis of Polyethyleneimine- Conductive Carbon Black Supports for Pt-Pd Electrocatalysts

Pt-Pd nanocomposite supported on polyethylenimine-functionalized carbon black (Pt-Pd/PEl-CB) was reported. Pt-Pd nanoparticles are supported on PEI-CB composite by chemical reduction of H2PtCl6 and PdCl2 using a polyol method. The concentration of Pt-Pd alloyed metals on CB was adjusted to 20 wt%. The physical properties of nanocomposites were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The electrochemical properties of Pt-Pd nanocomposites were confirmed by cyclic voltammetries (CVs). The fundamental electrochemical test results indicated that the electrocatalytic activities of a PEI-CB supported Pt-Pd nanocomposite were better than pristine CB supported Pt-Pd nanocomposite, which was attributed to the increase of the conductivity and the facile removal of intermediate poisoning species with the aid of Pt-Pd.