Formic Acid and Methanol Oxidation for Pt/C Catalyst Depending on Rotating Speed, Scan Rate and Concentration

Abstract

The oxidation of small organic molecules on the catalyst under electrocatalytic conditions is important for the operation of liquid feed fuel cells. The basic reaction mechanisms toward the oxidation of methanol and formic acid continue to be a matter of debate under real operational conditions of electrochemical systems. The electrocatalytic activity of the commercial Pt/C catalyst was investigated in sulfuric acid/methanol and sulfuric acid/formic acid mixtures using electrochemical measurements. This work presents the variation of formic acid and methanol oxidation on the catalyst depending on hydrodynamic conditions using the rotating disk electrode. Cyclic voltammograms were obtained at different scan rates, rotating speeds and concentrations. As the rotating speed increases, the oxidation activity of formic acid and methanol decrease under voltammetric measurements. The peak currents of formic acid and methanol oxidation increased with the increase in the scan rate and concentration.