Testing the feasibility of in situ electrochemical BCDI in aqueous solutions using Pd nanoparticles in the presence of glycerol as a reactan

We aim to evaluate the feasibility of using BCDI in situ to track changes in Pd nanoparticles morphology and strain during the electro-oxidation of glycerol. We aim to study Pd NPs as we change the external applied potential causing the adsorption/desorption of hydrogen, hydroxyl and the concomitant glycerol oxidation. However, before doing it, we need to tackle problems related to radiation damage, which are revealed by the formation of Pd hydrides at electrochemical potentials where the phenomena should not occur in HClO4 solutions. Pd hydride formation can be detected via X-ray diffraction. We can track the Pd hydride formation using different concentrations of glycerol. By doing that, we will check if the glycerol’s ability as a radical trapping agent is able to mitigate the radiation damage. Glycerol is a special molecule in our case because it can act not only as a trapping agent, but also as the biomass being electrocatalytically oxidized in our system.