Electrocatalytic activity of AuCeO2/C towards ethylene glycol oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions

Virginija Kepenienė; Raminta Stagniūnaitė; Daina Upskuvienė; Loreta Tamašauskaitė-Tamašiūnaitė; Vidas Pakštas; Audrius Drabavičius; Mindaugas Andrulevičius; Eugenijus Norkus

doi:10.6001/chemija.v31i2.4217

Virginija Kepenienė
Raminta Stagniūnaitė
Daina Upskuvienė
Loreta Tamašauskaitė-Tamašiūnaitė
Vidas Pakštas
Audrius Drabavičius
Mindaugas Andrulevičius
Eugenijus Norkus

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6001/chemija.v31i2.4217

Keywords: gold nanoparticles, cerium(IV) oxide, ethylene glycol oxidation, oxygen reduction

Abstract

AuCeO₂/C and Au/C catalysts were obtained by adsorption of AuNPs on the CeO₂/C and pure carbon (C) substrates from an Au colloidal solution. It has been found that AuNPs of ca. 50 nm in size were adsorbed on the surfaces of CeO₂/C and C; however, electrocatalytic activity of the investigated AuCeO₂/C and Au/C catalysts was different. Ethylene glycol oxidation current density values are ca. 3 times higher on the AuCeO₂/C catalyst as compared to those of the bare Au/C catalyst. Moreover, the AuCeO₂/C catalyst showed more positive onset potentials, as well as higher current in the mixed-kinetic-diffusion region towards the oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline medium compared to that of the Au/C catalyst.