Modified Metal Catalysts with Enhanced Surface Area and their Activity

Catalysts play important rule in order to enhance the efficiency of the chemical processes. Catalysis being surface phenomena, catalytic activity mainly depends upon their total available surface area. Metals are often used as catalysts for electrochemical and chemical reactions. In this study, different techniques were employed to prepare or modify some of the metals in terms of particles and layers particularly from first row of transition metals to enhance the surface area of their given amount. Electrodes of copper and zinc are modified by electro chemical deposition. More importantly these modified electrodes are employed to check their catalytic activity for the oxidation of methanol and ethanol in basic environment. This is the one of the potential reactions occur in fuel cell. Secondly, hydrothermal method was adopted for the synthesis of the nanoparticles. To investigate the utility of the approach, synthesized materials under gone as catalysts for mineralization of the organic dye. Generally, enhanced catalytic activity is observed. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy is deployed for the investigation of the surface morphology of the prepared/modified materials.