Synthesis, characterization and fabrication of M*/polypyrrole/multi-walled carbon nanotube nanocomposite electrode for hydrogen ion generation from ethylene glycol [M* = Pt, Pd, Ru, Pt/Pd, Pt/Ru, Pd/Ru, Pt/Pd/Ru]

Abstract

We report the synthesis, characterization and fabrication of monometallic, bimetallic or trimetallic polypyrrole multi-walled carbon nanotube composite electrodes and their performance in hydrogen ion generation from ethylene glycol. The electrode was prepared via thick film method from the homogenized mixture of components and surface functionalized with the metal via electrochemical reduction. Performance characterizations performed via cyclic voltammetry showed that among the monometallic systems, ruthenium has the highest current generated at 0.32 mA while the bimetallic system exhibited synergistic behavior showing a significant increase in current indicating an increase in H⁺ generation. However, an antisynergistic behavior was observed for the trimetallic electrode.