Neste trabalho foram estudadas a atividade e seletividade de materiais bimetálicos de rutênio e nióbio, adicionados em matriz de carbono do tipo Printex 6L, para a eletrogeração de peróxido de hidrogênio a partir da reação de redução de oxigênio. Os materiais foram caracterizados por aplicação de técnicas eletroquímicas em microcamada porosa e em eletrodos de difusão gasosa, em meio ácido. Foram realizados estudos de caracterização física e morfológica dos materiais para a compreensão dos possíveis óxidos formados em substrato de carbono, por análises de difração de Raios-X, por fluorescência de Raios-X, por microscopia eletrônica de varredura acoplada a um sistema de espectroscopia de Raios-X por dispersão de energia. Por caracterização eletroquímica em microcamada porosa, o material com 5,0% de Ru05%Nb95%Oz em carbono foi escolhido como o material com maior seletividade para a eletrogeração de peróxido de hidrogênio, com eficiência de corrente calculada de 84,6%, em potencial aplicado de -0,515 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), sendo posteriormente estudado em eletrodo de difusão gasosa, por cronopotenciometria, com concentração de peróxido de hidrogênio eletrogerado de 210,74 mg L-1, em 90 minutos de experimento, com uma densidade de corrente de -100 mA cm-2, cerca de 24,5% maior quando comparada a eletrogeração de H2O2 detectada para a matriz de carbono térmico, sem adição de elementos metálicos, nas mesmas condições experimentais. Os resultados de constante cinética obtidos na mesma densidade de corrente aplicada de -100 mA cm-2, foram: de 2,44 mg L-1 min-1 para o material com 5,0% de Ru05%Nb95%Oz, e de 1,78 mg L-1 min-1 para o eletrodo de difusão gasosa sem modificador. / In this work, the activity and selectivity of bimetallic materials composed by ruthenium and niobium, added on carbon matrix Printex 6L, for electrogeneration of hydrogen peroxide from oxygen reduction reaction. The materials were characterized by the application of electrochemical techniques in porous microlayer and gas diffusion electrodes, in acid medium. The physical and morphological characterization were made of the materials for understanding the possible metallic oxides formation in carbon substrate by analysis of X-rays diffraction , X-rays fluorescence , by scanning electron microscopy coupled by an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. For electrochemical characterization using porous microlayer, the material with 5.0% of Ru05%Nb95%Oz in carbon was chosen as the material with greater selectivity for the hydrogen peroxide electrogeneration, with calculated current efficiency of 84.6% in applied potential of -0.515 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), studied using a gas diffusion electrode, by chronopotentiometry, with obtained hydrogen peroxide concentration of 210.74 mg L-1, at 90 minutes of experiment, with a the current density of -100 mA cm-2, about 24.5% higher when compared with the hydrogen peroxide electrogeneration detected for a carbon matrix, without addition of metal elements, under the same experimental conditions. The results obtained for calculated kinetic constant, using the same applied current density of -100 mA cm-2: 2.44 mg L-1 min-1 for using the material with 5.0% Ru05%Nb95%Oz, and 1.78 mg L-1 min-1 for using the carbon matrix without modification.

Neste trabalho foram estudadas a atividade e seletividade de materiais bimetálicos de rutênio e nióbio, adicionados em matriz de carbono do tipo Printex 6L, para a eletrogeração de peróxido de hidrogênio a partir da reação de redução de oxigênio. Os materiais foram caracterizados por aplicação de técnicas eletroquímicas em microcamada porosa e em eletrodos de difusão gasosa, em meio ácido. Foram realizados estudos de caracterização física e morfológica dos materiais para a compreensão dos possíveis óxidos formados em substrato de carbono, por análises de difração de Raios-X, por fluorescência de Raios-X, por microscopia eletrônica de varredura acoplada a um sistema de espectroscopia de Raios-X por dispersão de energia. Por caracterização eletroquímica em microcamada porosa, o material com 5,0% de Ru05%Nb95%Oz em carbono foi escolhido como o material com maior seletividade para a eletrogeração de peróxido de hidrogênio, com eficiência de corrente calculada de 84,6%, em potencial aplicado de -0,515 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), sendo posteriormente estudado em eletrodo de difusão gasosa, por cronopotenciometria, com concentração de peróxido de hidrogênio eletrogerado de 210,74 mg L-1, em 90 minutos de experimento, com uma densidade de corrente de -100 mA cm-2, cerca de 24,5% maior quando comparada a eletrogeração de H2O2 detectada para a matriz de carbono térmico, sem adição de elementos metálicos, nas mesmas condições experimentais. Os resultados de constante cinética obtidos na mesma densidade de corrente aplicada de -100 mA cm-2, foram: de 2,44 mg L-1 min-1 para o material com 5,0% de Ru05%Nb95%Oz, e de 1,78 mg L-1 min-1 para o eletrodo de difusão gasosa sem modificador. / In this work, the activity and selectivity of bimetallic materials composed by ruthenium and niobium, added on carbon matrix Printex 6L, for electrogeneration of hydrogen peroxide from oxygen reduction reaction. The materials were characterized by the application of electrochemical techniques in porous microlayer and gas diffusion electrodes, in acid medium. The physical and morphological characterization were made of the materials for understanding the possible metallic oxides formation in carbon substrate by analysis of X-rays diffraction , X-rays fluorescence , by scanning electron microscopy coupled by an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. For electrochemical characterization using porous microlayer, the material with 5.0% of Ru05%Nb95%Oz in carbon was chosen as the material with greater selectivity for the hydrogen peroxide electrogeneration, with calculated current efficiency of 84.6% in applied potential of -0.515 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), studied using a gas diffusion electrode, by chronopotentiometry, with obtained hydrogen peroxide concentration of 210.74 mg L-1, at 90 minutes of experiment, with a the current density of -100 mA cm-2, about 24.5% higher when compared with the hydrogen peroxide electrogeneration detected for a carbon matrix, without addition of metal elements, under the same experimental conditions. The results obtained for calculated kinetic constant, using the same applied current density of -100 mA cm-2: 2.44 mg L-1 min-1 for using the material with 5.0% Ru05%Nb95%Oz, and 1.78 mg L-1 min-1 for using the carbon matrix without modification.

Multi-metallic aerogels have recently emerged as a novel and promising class of unsupported electrocatalyst materials due to their high catalytic activity and improved durability for various electrochemical reactions. Aerogels can be prepared by a spontaneous one-step gelation process, where the chemical co-reduction of metal precursors and the prompt formation of the nanochain-consisting hydrogels, as a preliminary stage for the preparation of aerogels take place. However, detailed knowledge about the homogeneity and chemical distribution of these three-dimensional Pd-Pt aerogels at the nano-scale as well as at the macro-scale is still unclear to date. Therefore, we used a combination of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to obtain a better insight into the structure and elemental distribution of the various Pd-rich Pd-Pt aerogels prepared by the spontaneous one-step gelation process. Synchrotron-based extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were employed in this work to uncover the structural architecture and chemical composition of the various Pd-rich Pd-Pt aerogels over a broad length range. The Pd80Pt20, Pd60Pt40 and Pd50Pt50 aerogels showed heterogeneity in the chemical distribution of the Pt and Pd atoms inside the macroscopic nanochain-network. Features of monometallic clusters were not detected by EXAFS or STEM-EDX, indicating alloyed nanoparticles. However, the local chemical composition of the Pd-Pt alloys strongly varied along the nanochains and thus within a single aerogel. To determine the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of the Pd-Pt aerogels for applications in electrocatalysis, we used the electrochemical CO stripping method. Due to high porosity and extended network structure, the resulting values of the ECSA for the Pd-Pt aerogels were higher than that for a commercially available unsupported Pt black catalyst. We show that the Pd-Pt aerogels possess a high utilization of catalytically active centers for electrocatalytic applications based on the nanostructured bimetallic framework. Knowledge about the homogeneity and chemical distribution of the bimetallic aerogels can help to further optimize their preparation by the spontaneous one-step gelation process and to tune their electrocatalytic reactivity.

Multi-metallic aerogels have recently emerged as a novel and promising class of unsupported electrocatalyst materials due to their high catalytic activity and improved durability for various electrochemical reactions. Aerogels can be prepared by a spontaneous one-step gelation process, where the chemical co-reduction of metal precursors and the prompt formation of the nanochain-consisting hydrogels, as a preliminary stage for the preparation of aerogels take place. However, detailed knowledge about the homogeneity and chemical distribution of these three-dimensional Pd-Pt aerogels at the nano-scale as well as at the macro-scale is still unclear to date. Therefore, we used a combination of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to obtain a better insight into the structure and elemental distribution of the various Pd-rich Pd-Pt aerogels prepared by the spontaneous one-step gelation process. Synchrotron-based extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were employed in this work to uncover the structural architecture and chemical composition of the various Pd-rich Pd-Pt aerogels over a broad length range. The Pd80Pt20, Pd60Pt40 and Pd50Pt50 aerogels showed heterogeneity in the chemical distribution of the Pt and Pd atoms inside the macroscopic nanochain-network. Features of monometallic clusters were not detected by EXAFS or STEM-EDX, indicating alloyed nanoparticles. However, the local chemical composition of the Pd-Pt alloys strongly varied along the nanochains and thus within a single aerogel. To determine the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of the Pd-Pt aerogels for applications in electrocatalysis, we used the electrochemical CO stripping method. Due to high porosity and extended network structure, the resulting values of the ECSA for the Pd-Pt aerogels were higher than that for a commercially available unsupported Pt black catalyst. We show that the Pd-Pt aerogels possess a high utilization of catalytically active centers for electrocatalytic applications based on the nanostructured bimetallic framework. Knowledge about the homogeneity and chemical distribution of the bimetallic aerogels can help to further optimize their preparation by the spontaneous one-step gelation process and to tune their electrocatalytic reactivity.