Effects of acetone on electrooxidation of 2-propanol in alkaline medium on the Pd/Ni-foam electrode

Acetone is the main product of 2-propanol electrooxidation in both acid and alkaline electrolytes; it always co-exists with 2-propanol in the reaction solution due to its liquid nature. Whether acetone will affect the electrooxidation of 2-propanol has not been well documented, which is a key issue that needs to be addressed for the direct 2-propanol fuel cell. In this study, the influence of acetone on the electrooxidation of 2-propanol in alkaline medium is investigated, using state-of-the-art Pd electrode, by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The electrode is prepared using a chemical replacement method, by dipping nickel foam into acidified PdCl2 solution, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy. We found that the presence of acetone adversely affects electrooxidation performance of 2-propanol and substantially reduces the oxidation current of 2-propanol on Pd in alkaline medium. The acetone poisoning effect is interpreted by a competitive adsorption mechanism, in which acetone adsorbs onto Pd surface and occupies the active sites for 2-propanol electrooxidation, leading to a significant decrease in the number of these sites for 2-propanol electrooxidation. The results of this study point out that efficient electrocatalysts for 2-propanol electrooxidation in alkaline electrolytes must be non-adsorptive to acetone besides being highly active to 2-propanol oxidation.