Electrochemical Microreactor Research Articles

Application of the mixed potential model to the oxidation of methane on silver and nickel-zirconia catalysts

A three-electrode ceramic electrochemical microreactor has been used to study the oxidation of methane on silver and nickel-zirconia catalysts at 600–800°C. In separate experiments, feeds of CH 4:N 2 and N 2:O 2 were used and the I– V characteristics of the catalyst working electrode were obtained potentiodynamically. The mixed potential model was used to analyse the data and to predict the behaviour for a mixed CH 4:O 2 feed, both at open circuit and under cathodic polarisation. Correlation with true mixed feed behaviour was found to be within experimental error. The relevance of his analysis to the development of gas-phase heterogeneous catalysis is discussed.