Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Ethanol On Various Metal Ad-Layer Modified Au(111) Electrodes In Alkaline Solution

Ethanol oxidation wasstudied on single-crystalAu(111) electrodes that weremodified byplatinum, palla-dium, and cadmium metal ad-layers. The metal ad-layer modification was carried out by the underpotentialdeposition process, in which controlled amounts of Pt, Pd, and Cd were electrodeposited onto the substrateas submonolayer or monolayer coverage. The activity of the metal ad-layer modified Au(111) electrodestoward ethanol oxidation was studied in alkaline media, and recorded voltammograms were compared tothose of bare single crystal Au(111) and polycrystalline gold and platinum disk electrodes. In terms ofthe desired shift in reduction potential and increased current density, the best electrocatalytic activity wasobtained with a 30-s electrodeposited Pt ad-layer modified Au(111) electrode.Key Words: Ethanol oxidation, Pt ad-layer, Pd ad-layer, Cd ad-layer, Au(111) single crystal electrode,fuel cell, catalyst