Methanol, Ethanol, and Formic Acid Oxidation on New Platinum-Containing Catalysts

Electrooxidation of methanol, ethanol, and formic acid was studied on three platinum-containing electrocatalysts: PtCu/C, Pt/(SnO<sub>2</sub>/C), and Pt/C, Pt content being about 20 wt%. In all reactions, the integral specific activity of the catalysts, estimated from the results of cycl...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vladislav S. Menshikov, Ivan N. Novomlinsky, Sergey V. Belenov, Anastasya A. Alekseenko, Olga I. Safronenko, Vladimir E. Guterman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
Series:Catalysts
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/11/2/158
Description
Summary:Electrooxidation of methanol, ethanol, and formic acid was studied on three platinum-containing electrocatalysts: PtCu/C, Pt/(SnO<sub>2</sub>/C), and Pt/C, Pt content being about 20 wt%. In all reactions, the integral specific activity of the catalysts, estimated from the results of cyclic voltammetry, grows in the Pt/C < Pt/(SnO<sub>2</sub>/C) < PtCu/C row. The influence of the reagent nature subjected to electrooxidation is manifested both in the difference of the absolute rate values of the corresponding reactions, decreasing in the order CH<sub>3</sub>OH > HCOOH > C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>5</sub>OH, and in the different ratio of these rates on different catalysts and at different potentials. Pt/(SnO<sub>2</sub>/C) catalyst containing SnO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles is the most active among the studied catalysts in methanol and formic acid electrooxidation reactions under potentiostatic conditions at the E = 0.60 V. Moreover, in formic acid electrooxidation reaction it is significantly superior to even the PtRu/C commercial catalyst. The reasons for the positive influence of Cu atoms and SnO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles on the catalytic activity of platinum are presumably associated with different effects: Interaction of the d-orbitals of copper and platinum atoms in bimetallic nanoparticles and implementation of the bifunctional catalysis mechanism on the adjacent platinum and tin dioxide nanoparticles.
ISSN:2073-4344