Characterization and electrochemical behavior of Pd-rich Pd-Ru alloys

The Effect of the Iridium Alloying and Hydrogen Sorption on the Physicochemical and Electrochemical Properties of Palladium

Thin layers (up to 1 µm) of Pd-Ir alloys were electrodeposited from aqueous, galvanic baths of PdCl₂ and IrCl₃ mixtures. The morphology of the electrodeposits was examined by means of scanning electron microscopy. The composition of alloys was determined with the use of energy-dispersive spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy. For the studies of the electrochemical properties of alloys, cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and chronopotentiometry were used. It was found that Pd-Ir alloy electrodes were surface-enriched with Pd. Pd-Ir alloys subjected to different electrochemical treatment involving hydrogen sorption changed their surface state. The continuous hydrogen sorption enhanced the Ir ions' dissolution. The values of thermodynamic functions of hydrogen sorption in strong alkaline electrolytes were comparable with those in acidic electrolytes, whereas the kinetics of the process in alkaline medium was hindered. The miscibility gap in the Pd-Ir-H system vanished for the electrode containing ca. 93.7 at.% Pd.

Effect of the Alloying Metal on the Corrosion Resistance of Pd-Rich Binary Alloys with Pt, Rh, and Ru in Sulfuric Acid

The paper presents the study of the corrosion resistance of electrodeposited Pd and its binary alloys with Pt, Rh, and Ru on a polycrystalline Au substrate. The corrosion resistance was tested in 0.5 M sulfuric acid at room temperature using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The morphology/composition and work function values were determined by scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning Kelvin probe, respectively. The obtained results revealed that the Pd electrode is the most resistant to corrosion, whereas the Pd-Ru electrode is the most susceptible to dissolution. It was found that the corrosion resistance of Pd-binary alloys decrease in the following order: Pd > Pd-Pt > Pd-Rh > Pd-Ru. This effect was assigned mainly to the difference in surface roughness factor of tested electrodes.

Hydrogen electrosorption properties of electrodeposited Pd-Ir alloys

The study of the hydrogen sorption process in metals/alloys of different forms is crucial for developing the fields of catalysis and energy storage. The objective of this research was to examine basic hydrogen electrosorption properties of Pd-Ir alloy thin films obtained through electrodeposition. Pd-Ir alloys, containing more than 87% at. Pd, were successfully potentiostatically electrodeposited from aqueous baths containing PdCl2 and IrCl3. X-ray diffractometry confirmed the Pd-Ir alloy formation and homogeneity of the deposits. The hydrogen electrochemical absorption was carried out with the use of cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The values of H/(Pd+Ir) for Pd-Ir alloys containing less than 3% at. Ir are similar, comparable to Pd. The further increase of Ir content results in the abrupt drop of hydrogen absorbing capacity. The linear decrease of the potential of α→β phase transition versus Pd content is observed, confirming classification of the Pd-Ir alloys to the group of the contracted alloys.

Graphical abstract

Effect of Hydrogen Electrosorption on Mechanical and Electronic Properties of Pd80Rh20 Alloy

The interaction of hydrogen with Pt-group metals and alloys is at the center of research in the fields of electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, hydrogen technologies and fuel cells developed under the Hydrogen Economy. In this work, the material under study was Pd₈₀Rh₂₀ alloy (50 μm foil) subjected to hydrogen electrosorption at potentials corresponding to formation of α, α-β and β phase in 0.1 M H₂SO₄ at 25 °C. The total amount of hydrogen adsorbed at the surface and absorbed in octahedral interstitial positions of fcc Pd₈₀Rh₂₀ alloy, was determined from the oxidation charges. The H/(Pd+Rh) was 0.002, 0.4 and 0.8 for α, α-β, and β Pd₈₀Rh₂₀H, respectively. Microindentation hardness testing and nanoindentation showed weakening of mechanical properties of the Pd₈₀Rh₂₀ alloy after hydrogen electrosorption due to internal stresses. Decrease of work function with increasing amount of hydrogen absorbed occurred due to the surface roughness changes and the presence of electropositive hydrogen atoms absorbed in the crystal lattice responsible for the dipole interaction. The detailed mechanism of hydrogen absorption/diffusion in the Pd₈₀Rh₂₀ alloy structure is discussed. The obtained results give a new insight into the relationship between the amount of absorbed hydrogen and mechanical and electronic properties of the Pd₈₀Rh₂₀ alloy at the micro- and nanoscale.

Comparative Physicochemical and Electrochemical Characterization of the Structure and Composition of Thin Pd Binary and Ternary Codeposits with Pt, Ru, and Rh

Pd-Ru, Pd-Rh, Pd-Pt-Ru, and Pd-Rh-Ru electrodes were prepared as thin layers by potentiostatic codeposition or chemical co-precipitation of metals from baths containing mixtures of chloride salts. The formation of substitutional solid solutions, with lattice parameters smaller than that of pure Pd, was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The compositions at various levels of sample volume and thickness were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and also electrochemically by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄. The differences between surface, subsurface, and bulk compositions were compared for various systems in a wide composition spectrum.

Cuprous oxide template synthesis of hollow-cubic Cu2O@PdxRuynanoparticles for ethanol electrooxidation in alkaline media

Surfactant-free and low Pd loading Cu₂O@Pd_xRu_yhollow-cubes were facilely prepared and their electrocatalytic performance for ethanol electrooxidation were investigated.