Ethanol electro-oxidation in an alkaline medium using Pd/C, Au/C and PdAu/C electrocatalysts prepared by electron beam irradiation

Carbon-supported Pd, Au and bimetallic PdAu (Pd:Au 90:10, 50:50 and 30:70 atomic ratios) electrocatalysts were prepared using electron beam irradiation. The obtained materials were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and their catalytic activities toward ethanol electro-oxidation were evaluated in an alkaline medium using electrochemical techniques, in situ attenuated total reflectance Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis and a single alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell (ADEFC). EDX analyses showed that the actual Pd: Au atomic ratios were very similar to the nominal ones. X-ray diffractograms of PdAu/C electrocatalysts evidenced the presence of Pd-rich (fcc) and Au-rich (fcc) phases. TEM analysis showed a homogeneous dispersion of nanoparticles on the carbon support, with an average size in the range of 3-5 nm and broad size distributions. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) experiments revealed the superior ambient activity toward ethanol electro-oxidation of PdAu/C electrocatalysts with Pd: Au ratios of 90:10 and 50:50. In situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy measurements have shown that the mechanism for ethanol electro-oxidation is dependent on catalyst composition, leading to different reaction products, such as acetaldehyde and acetate, depending on the number of electrons transferred. Experiments on a single ADEFC were conducted between 50 and 900 C, and the best performance of 44 mW cm-2 in 2.0molL-1 ethanol was obtained at 850C for the Pd:Au 90:10 catalysts. This superior performance is most likely associated with enhancement of ethanol adsorption on Pd, oxidation of the intermediates, the presence of gold oxide-hydroxyl species, low mean particle diameters and better distribution of particles on the support. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Co-operation between Latin America and Africa in the field of external trade

Includes bibliography

ILPES: inserción externa, competitividad y crisis fiscal" = ILPES: "external insertion, competitiveness and fiscal crisis""

Incluye Bibliografía

ILPES: inserción externa, desarrollo y planificación" = ILPES: "external insertion, development and planning""

Analiza la evolución de la posición relativa de América Latina y el Caribe en el contexto internacional; los principales fenómenos del desarrollo contemporáneo que condicionarán su futuro; la vitalidad de la empresa productiva como recurso estratégico para las políticas de reinserción externa; la crisis fiscal y sus vínculos con la situación externa. Se hace referencia al papel que los organismos nacionales de planificación pueden desempeñar en apoyo de nuevas políticas de reinserción externa.

Desarrollo económico y social y las relaciones externas de América Latina = Economic and social development and external relations of Latin America

Incluye Bibliografía

Problema de la deuda: gestación, desarrollo, crisis y perspectiva = Problem of the external debt: gestation, development, crisis and prospects

Incluye Bibliografía

Caribbean Community: common external trade regime: Annex I to the national trade operations and procedure guides

Includes bibliography

Lome Convention common external trade regime: Annex II to the national trade operations and procedure guides

Resume los aspectos principales del Convenio de Lome relacionados con el comercio entre la Comunidad Economica Europea y los paises de Africa, Caribe y Pacifico (ACP).

Eastern Caribbean common external trade regime: Annex III to the national trade operations and procedure guides

Contiene los acuerdos del Mercado Comun del Caribe Oriental sobre el regimen de importaciones y exportaciones, y politicas de desarrollo, monetarias y fiscal entre los paises miembros.

Draft working paper on country codes for use in processing external trade statistics

Describe un sistema de codificación de países y regiones para ser usado en el procesamiento de estadísticas de comercio exterior; analiza las deficiencias de los códigos de países existentes en el área del CARICOM; y presenta en anexos dos esquemas de clasificación.

Draft amendments to the standard external trade statistics classification of East Caribbean Common Market Countries

Includes bibliography

Proposed amendments to the ECCM common external tariff

Includes bibliography

Draft common external tariff for the East Caribbean Common Market

Includes bibliography