Study of the kinetics and the influence of Biirr on formic acid oxidation at Pt2Ru3/C

Optimal Electrocatalytic Pd/MWNTs Nanocatalysts toward Formic Acid Oxidation

The operating conditions such as composition of electrolyte and temperature can greatly influence the formic acid (HCOOH) oxidation reaction (FAOR). Palladium decorated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Pd/MWNTs) were successfully synthesized and employed as nanocatalysts to explore the effects of formic acid, sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) concentration and temperature on FAOR. Both the hydrogen adsorption in low potential range and the oxidation of poisoning species during the high potential range in cyclic voltammetry were demonstrated to contribute to the enhanced electroactivity of Pd/MWNTs. The as-synthesized Pd/MWNTs gave the best performance under a condition with balanced adsorptions of HCOOH and H₂SO₄ molecules. The dominant dehydrogenation pathway on Pd/MWNTs can be largely depressed by the increased dehydration pathway, leading to an increased charge transfer resistance (R_ct ). Increasing HCOOH concentration could directly increase the dehydration process proportion and cause the production of CO_ads species. H₂SO₄ as donor of H⁺ greatly facilitated the onset oxidation of HCOOH in the beginning process but it largely depressed the HCOOH oxidation with excess amount of H⁺. Enhanced ion mobility with increasing the temperature was mainly responsible for the increased current densities, improved tolerance stabilities and reduced R_ct values, while dehydration process was also increased simultaneously.

Comparative study of ethanol oxidation at Pt: Based nanoalloys and UPD modified Pt nanoparticles

The activity of two alloys, Pt3Sn/C and Pt3Ru2/C, was compared with the activity of Pt/C modified with corresponding amounts of SnUPD (?25 %) and RuUPD (?40 %) in oxidation of ethanol. Pt3Sn/C, Pt3Ru2/C and Pt/C catalysts were characterized by XRD. To establish the activity and stability of the catalysts, potentiodynamic, quasi steady-state and chronoamperometric measurements were performed. Both alloys are more active than SnUPD or RuUPD modified Pt/C catalysts. Electronic effect determining dominantly the activity of Pt3Sn/C is the main reason for its higher activity compared to Pt3Ru2/C. Since SnUPD and RuUPD do not provoke any significant modification of electronic environment, both modified Pt/C catalysts are less active than corresponding alloys. More pronounced difference in activity between Pt3Sn/C and SnUPD modified Pt/C than between Pt3Ru2/C and RuUPD modified Pt/C is caused by electronic effect in Pt3Sn/C. High activity of Pt3Sn/C modified with small amount of SnUPD (?10%) can be explained by combining the electronic effect, causing less strongly bonded adsorbate on Pt sites and easier mobility of SnUPD, with enhanced amount of oxygen-containing species on Sn sites resulting finally in reinforcement of bifunctional mechanism.

Activity of carbon supported Pt3Ru2 nanocatalyst in CO oxidation

The electrocatalytic activity of Pt3Ru2/C nanocatalyst toward the electro-oxidation of bulk CO was examined in acid and alkaline solution at ambient temperature using the thin-film, rotating disk electrode (RDE) method. The catalyst was characterized by XRD analysis. The XRD pattern revealed that the Pt3Ru2/C catalyst consisted of two structures, i.e., Pt-Ru-fcc and Ruhcp (a solid solution of Ru in Pt and a small amount of Ru or a solid solution of Pt in Ru). Electrocatalytic activities were measured by applying potentiodynamic and steady state techniques. The oxidation of CO on the Pt3Ru2/C catalyst was influenced by pH and anions from the supporting electrolytes. The Pt3Ru2/C was more active in alkaline than in acid solution, as well as in perchloric than in sulfuric acid. Comparison of CO oxidation on Pt3Ru2/C and Pt/C revealed that the Pt3Ru2/C was more active than Pt/C in acid solution, while both catalysts had a similar activity in alkaline solution.

High activity of Pt(4)Mo alloy for the electrochemical oxidation of formic acid

Surface processes on Pt4Mo alloy well-defined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were studied in acid solution by cyclic voltammetry. It was established that Mo in the alloy is much more resistant toward electrochemical dissolution than pure Mo. During the potential cycling of Pt4Mo surfaces in completely quiescent electrolyte, hydrous Mo-oxide could be generated on Mo sites. Investigation of the formic acid oxidation revealed that this type of Mo-oxide enhances the reaction rate by more than 1 order of magnitude with respect to pure Pt. Surface poisoning by CO(ads) is significantly lower on Pt4Mo alloy than on pure Pt. The effect of hydrous Mo-oxide on the HCOOH oxidation rate was explained through the facilitated removal of the poisoning species and through its possible influence on the intrinsic rate of the direct reaction path.