Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide-Assisted Electrochemical Preparation of Palladium-Nickel Bimetallic Electrode

Abstract

To improve the electrode catalytic activity, palladium-nickel (Pd-Ni) bimetallic electrode was prepared by electrochemical deposition in the presence of cationic surfactant-cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). Meshed titanium (Ti) was used as substrate. The two electrodes (Pd-Ni/Ti electrode and Pd-Ni(CTAB)/Ti) were characterized by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). CV results reveal that the Pd-Ni bimetallic electrode prepared in the presence of CTAB exhibits higher hydrogen adsorption capability than that prepared without CTAB. SEM tests show that CTAB obviously changes the surface morphology of the electrode. Pd-Ni/Ti electrode surface looks like a densely dendritic coating composed of large continuous agglomerates. Pd-Ni(CTAB)/Ti electrode presents clusters of polygonal and loosely packed particles which can increase the surface area and obtain more catalytic sites. XRD results indicate that both the two electrode surface films were made of Pd-Ni bimetals. The quantities of Pd and Ni on Pd-Ni/Ti electrode and on Pd-Ni(CTAB)/Ti electrode were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). All the experimental results indicate that Pd-Ni(CTAB)/Ti electrode exhibits a favorable surface characteristic and a cheerful prospect of catalytic degradation capability. The reductive dechlorination potential of Pd-Ni(CTAB)/Ti electrode was more higher than that of Pd-Ni/Ti electrode.