Synthesis of metal binary oxides supported on carbon amorphous (printex 6L) for the electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)

Author(s)

Leandro Cesar Trevelin

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC/BT)
• Defense date: 2016-03-11

Examining board members

Marcos Roberto de Vasconcelos Lanza; Sergio Antonio Spinola Machado; Fernando Cruz de Moraes

• Advisor: Marcos Roberto de Vasconcelos Lanza

Abstract

The present work aim the electrosynthesis study of H2O2 from the reduction reaction of oxygen (RRO) using carbon Printex 6L modified with binary oxides composed of niobium, molybdenum and palladium, synthetized by precursors method. The analyses of prepared compounds were made from thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) as well as x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The synthesis temperature was chosen by TGA results and having a maximum temperature of 400oC. The emission spectrum analysis from XRF showed the efficiency of materials incorporation in carbon matrix. DRX experiments showed the presence of crystalline phases of MoO2, Nb2O5 and PdO, and in comparison to the cyclic voltammetry technique results, there are redox pairs which can be associated to the transition of the metals in oxidation states of +4 and +5, to molybdenum and niobium, respectively, and state of +2 for palladium. In the experiments linear sweep voltammetry, it can be observed that the tendency of higher H2O2 generation by the material with 1% of NbMo content when it is compared to the Printex 6L carbon, so that were calculated the efficiency of H2O2 generation, obtaining a result of 55,5% for the 1% modifier in comparison with 47,4% for the Printex carbon, as well as the number of electrons involved in the reaction with a value of 2,9 to the 1% material and 3,1 to the Printex carbon. The analysis of Koutechy-Levich curves, confirm the previous results. Analysis under reduced conditions in the organic synthesis corroborates to greater efficiency of 1% material to the material with niobium and molybdenum and they also revealed the electrocatalytic improvement of carbon when it is incorporated with mixed oxide of niobium and palladium, being the best result expressed in the material containing 5% of niobium and palladium, in the molar proportion of 95 to 5% of each element, respectively (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/11486-4 - Production and evaluation of nanostructured binary metal oxides for the electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)
• Grantee: Leandro Cesar Trevelin
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master