Unveiling the effect of Pt addition on Ag/C catalyst for enhanced glycerol electrooxidation

Abstract

This study investigates the performance of Ag/C and a range of Ag100-xPtx/C nanoparticles as electrocatalysts for glycerol electrooxidation reaction (GEOR). Low amounts of Pt (<2 %) were spontaneously deposited on Ag-supported nanoparticles using Ag as a sacrificial metal. The primary aim of the study is to determine the impact of adding a small amount of Pt to the Ag/C catalyst. Cyclic voltammetry is employed to assess the electrocatalyst's performance, while in situ Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is used to examine the formed reaction intermediates and products. Additionally, physical characterization techniques such as XRD and XPS are applied to analyze the material structure. The Ag100-xPtx/C series of catalysts show a significant improvement in the glycerol oxidation process with the addition of 0.25 % of Pt to the material composition compared to pure Ag. It is observed that the enhancement performance reaches a limit at a Pt composition of approximately 7 % in the metallic nanoparticles, indicating that further increases in Pt content do not yield additional improvements. The in situ FTIR studies reveal that the presence of Pt on the Ag surface leads to a distinct glycerol electrooxidation mechanism compared to using Ag alone. Small amounts of Pt deposits promote C−C−C bond breaking, as evidenced by the selective formation of formic acid and CO2. FTIR results demonstrate a preference for carboxylic acid formation, with no significant evidence of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) production. The findings emphasize the critical role of Pt composition in the electrooxidation of glycerol paving the way for the design and development of more efficient and sustainable electrooxidation catalysts.