Biotemplated Palladium Catalysts Can Be Stabilized on Different Support Materials

© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. Sustainably biotemplated palladium catalysts generated on different carbon-based support materials are examined for durability under electrochemical (oxidative) and mechanical-stress conditions. Biotemplated catalysts on carbon paper under both stresses retain 95% (at 0.6V) of the initial catalytic activity as opposed to 70% for carbon cloth and 60% for graphite. Graphite electrodes retain 95% of initial catalytic activity under a single stress. Using electrodeposited polyaniline (PANI) and polydimethylsiloxane binder increases the current density after the stress tests by 22%, as opposed to a 30% decrease for Nafion. PANI-coated electrodes retain more activity than carbon-paper electrodes under elevated mechanical (94 versus 70%) or increased oxidative (175 versus 62%) stress. Biotemplated catalytic electrodes may be useful alternatives to synthetically produce catalysts for some electrochemical applications. Sustainable electrode fabrication: The biotemplated synthesis of catalytic porous electrodes is a sustainable process and, according to the results of durability tests under electrochemical and mechanical stress, these electrodes (e.g. the Pd/carbon paper electrode shown in the picture) are durable enough to replace catalytic electrodes based on synthetic materials in certain applications.