Electro-Oxidation of Glycerol on Core–Shell M@Pt/C (M = Co, Ni, Sn) Catalysts in Alkaline Medium

Rudyere Nascimento Silva (), Leandro Aparecido Pocrifka, Ermete Antolini and Raimundo Ribeiro Passos
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Rudyere Nascimento Silva: Department of Chemistry, Environment and Food—DQA, Campus Manaus Centro, Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Amazonas—IFAM, Manaus 69020-120, AM, Brazil
Leandro Aparecido Pocrifka: Laboratory of Electrochemistry and Energy—LEEN, Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Amazonas—UFAM, Manaus 69088-900, AM, Brazil
Ermete Antolini: Scuola di Scienza dei Materiali, 16016 Cogoleto, Italy
Raimundo Ribeiro Passos: Laboratory of Electrochemistry and Energy—LEEN, Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Amazonas—UFAM, Manaus 69088-900, AM, Brazil

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-14

Abstract: This study explores the development of core–shell electrocatalysts for efficient glycerol oxidation in alkaline media. Carbon-supported M@Pt/C (M = Co, Ni, Sn) catalysts with a 1:1 atomic ratio of metal (M) to platinum (Pt) were synthesized using a facile sodium borohydride reduction method. The analysis confirmed the formation of the desired core–shell structure, with Pt dominating the surface as evidenced by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the presence of a face-centered cubic (fcc) Pt structure for Co@Pt/C and Ni@Pt/C. Interestingly, Sn@Pt/C displayed a PtSn alloy formation indicated by shifted Pt peaks and the presence of minor Sn oxide peaks. Notably, no diffraction peaks were observed for the core metals, suggesting their amorphous nature. Electrocatalytic evaluation through cyclic voltammetry (CV) revealed superior glycerol oxidation activity for Co@Pt/C compared to all other catalysts. The maximum current density followed the order Co@Pt/C > Ni@Pt/C > Sn@Pt/C > Pt/C. This highlights the effectiveness of the core–shell design in enhancing activity. Furthermore, Sn@Pt/C displayed remarkable poisoning tolerance attributed to a combined effect: a bifunctional mechanism driven by Sn oxides and an electronic effect within the PtSn alloy. These findings demonstrate the significant potential of core–shell M@Pt/C structures for designing highly active and poisoning-resistant electrocatalysts for glycerol oxidation. The presented approach paves the way for further development of optimized catalysts with enhanced performance and stability aiming at future applications in direct glycerol fuel cells.

Keywords: fuel cell application; glycerol oxidation; direct glycerol fuel cell; core–shell catalyst (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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