Effect of support conductivity of catalytic powder on electrocatalytic hydrogenation of phenol

Metallic nanoaggregates deposited on non-conductive oxides powders as catalysts have shown good efficiency in electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH). In this process, the polarization of the metallic nanoaggregates is very important. This polarization can be improved when the electrode material is conductive. Thus, the goal of this work was to study the effect of the conduction of the supported material on the ECH process. Tin dioxide was chosen as oxide because it can be obtained in non-conductive or conductive form by doping with fluorine. Palladium supported catalysts powders were prepared by the sol–gel method. These electrocatalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, TGA/DSC, FTIR and electrical conductivity. The effects of temperature and time of calcination were also investigated. Comparison of non-conductive and conductive catalysts for ECH of phenol shows that conductive F-doped SnO₂ increases the rate of electrohydrogenation.