Co-sputtered PtxPdyAlz thin film electrocatalysts for the production of hydrogen via SO2(aq) electro-oxidation

Abstract

A co-sputtered PtxPdyAlz ternary system was investigated for potential use as anode catalyst for the electro-oxidation of aqueous sulphur dioxide (SO2), a key reaction in the hybrid sulphur (HyS) process for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. Combining the noble metals Pt and Pd with Al resulted in no significant improvement in onset potential; however, current output was improved for the majority of the electrocatalysts evaluated. Of these electrocatalysts, only a single ternary composition exhibited improved stability when compared to pure Pt. It was found that a combination of Pt40Pd57Al3 (annealed at 900 °C) exhibited superior performance when compared to pure Pt and the previously determined best binary electrocatalyst, i.e. Pt3Pd2. Current density (mA.mg Pt−1) increased from 108.11 to 181.21 and finally to 396.73 for Pt, Pt3Pd2 and Pt40Pd57Al3, respectively, indicating an increase in activity that correlates with a decrease in Pt content. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed an increase in surface roughness for Pt, Pt3Pd2 and Pt40Pd57Al3, while the occurrence of metal interaction and certain degrees of Al migration (a result of annealing) was confirmed for Pt40Pd57Al3 by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD)