Kinetics Of Electrochemical Oxidation Research Articles

Electrochemical oxidation of ATMP (Amino Trimethylene Phosphonic Acid) in low-concentrated acidic electrolyte on graphite and glassy carbon electrodes using cyclic voltammetry

This study investigates the irreversible electrochemical oxidation of Amino Trimethylene Phosphonic Acid (ATMP) in ClO4−–electrolyte on original unmodified graphite electrodes (GRE) and glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) using cyclic voltammetry (CV) as the main analytical technique. The oxidation reaction starts at ≈ +0.7 V on GRE and ≈ +0.92 V on GCE vs. Ag/AgCl (3M KCl) respectively. Four distinct electrode/electrolyte systems were selected for a comprehensive analysis of charge transfer and mass transport processes at non-Faradaic and Faradaic current regions at various scan rates υ (SR). These systems comprised of GRE/ClO4−–electrolyte, GRE/ATMP–ClO4−–electrolyte, GCE/ClO4−–electrolyte, and GCE/ATMP–ClO4−–electrolyte. Charging currents in the so-called double-layer region of the CV are found to scale linearly with SR on GCE (Adsorption mechanism); instead, the charging currents obey a nearly square root law on GRE (Diffusion mechanism). The electrochemical oxidation kinetics of ATMP in ClO4−–electrolyte using GRE and GCE obey nearly the fourth root law of the maximum oxidation current density (at the upper reverse potential) vs. SR. Finally, we identified the major transformation products generated from the ATMP electrochemical oxidation: ortho-phosphate (o− PO4), iminodimethylphosphonic acid (IDMP), and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA).

Electrochemical Oxidation for Treatment of PFAS in Contaminated Water and Fractionated Foam-A Pilot-Scale Study.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent synthetic contaminants that are present globally in water and are exceptionally difficult to remove during conventional water treatment processes. Here, we demonstrate a practical treatment train that combines foam fractionation to concentrate PFAS from groundwater and landfill leachate, followed by an electrochemical oxidation (EO) step to degrade the PFAS. The study combined an up-scaled experimental approach with thorough characterization strategies, including target analysis, PFAS sum parameters, and toxicity testing. Additionally, the EO kinetics were successfully reproduced by a newly developed coupled numerical model. The mean total PFAS degradation over the designed treatment train reached 50%, with long- and short-chain PFAS degrading up to 86 and 31%, respectively. The treatment resulted in a decrease in the toxic potency of the water, as assessed by transthyretin binding and bacterial bioluminescence bioassays. Moreover, the extractable organofluorine concentration of the water decreased by up to 44%. Together, these findings provide an improved understanding of a promising and practical approach for on-site remediation of PFAS-contaminated water.

Improved electrochemical oxidation kinetics of La0.5Ba0.5FeO3-δ anode for solid oxide fuel cells with fluorine doping

Sluggish anode kinetics and serious carbon deposition are two major obstacles to developing hydrocarbon fueled solid oxide fuel cells. A highly active and stable perovskite La 0.5 Ba 0.5 FeO 3-δ anode material is studied in this work. The oxygen surface exchange and charge transfer steps are the rate-determining steps of the anode process, and the former is accelerated with fluorine doping on the anion sites due to the lowering of metal-oxygen bond energy. The oxygen surface exchange coefficients of La 0.5 Ba 0.5 FeO 3-δ and La 0.5 Ba 0.5 FeO 2.9-δ F 0.1 at 850 °C are 1.4 × 10 −4 and 2.8 × 10 −4 cm s −1 , respectively. A single cell supported by a 300 μm-thick La 0.8 Sr 0.2 Ga 0.8 Mg 0.2 O 3-δ electrolyte layer with La 0.5 Ba 0.5 FeO 3-δ anode shows maximum power densities of 1446 and 691 mW cm −2 at 850 °C with wet hydrogen and methane fuels, respectively, which increase to 1860 and 809 mW cm −2 respectively when La 0.5 Ba 0.5 FeO 2.9-δ F 0.1 is used as the anode. The cell exhibits a short-term durability of 40 h using wet methane as fuel without carbon deposition on the anode. • La 0.5 Ba 0.5 FeO 3-δ perovskite is developed as an anode material of SOFCs. • The oxygen surface exchange on the anode is accelerated through F anion doping. • La 0.5 Ba 0.5 FeO 2.9-δ F 0.1 anode shows high activity and stability with CH 4 fuel.

Revised Zero-Dimensional Model for a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell with Mo-Doped Ceria Anode Using Syngas as Fuel

A zero-dimensional model was implemented to simulate the performance of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with Mo-doped ceria (CMO) anode using humidified (3%v/v water) hydrogen or syngas (50%v/v H2 – 50%v/v CO) as fuel. The model was validated preliminarily through experimental data generated at 800ºC using a SOFC with coated electrodes supported in the electrolyte (a 20 mm diameter yttria-stabilized zirconia, YSZ, disc) with a 14 mm diameter CMO|CMO-YSZ anode and a 14 mm diameter LSM-YSZ|LSM (lanthanum strontium manganite) cathode. Polarization (cell voltage vs current density, ΔEcell vs j) and power density (power density vs current density, Pelec vs j) curves were generated via linear sweep voltammetry connecting the SOFC to a Gamry Reference 3000 potentiostat/galvanostat/ZRA using platinum mesh and wires.The open circuit voltage (OCV) of the SOFC operating with humidified hydrogen was modelled directly using Nernst equations for the electrochemical hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions. For the case of the SOFC operating with humidified syngas, the electrochemical hydrogen and carbon monoxide oxidation reactions occur simultaneously at the anode. Hence, the Nernst equation was corrected by each anodic reaction selectivity determined solving mass balances coupled to an electrochemical kinetics model.Figure 1.a shows the fitted polarization and power density curves. Maximum SOFC power densities of ca. 1295 W m-2 (at 0.53 V and 2434 A m-2) and ca. 1084 W m-2 (at 0.52 V and 2106 A m-2) are predicted for the cell operating with humidified hydrogen and humidified syngas as fuel, respectively. These values are 2 and 5% lower than the experimental values. The OCVs calculated are ca. 1.10 V and 1.01 V, respectively, which are 5 and 8% higher/lower than the experimental values. The differences observed are attributed to the non-ideality of the gases due to their interaction with the electrode surfaces, and the possible infiltration of air into the anodic chamber [1,2].The SOFC ohmic losses calculated represent ca. 72% of the total voltage losses when operating at the maximum power density, which are attributed to the low electrical conductivities of the CMO|CMO-YSZ anode (CMO electrical conductivity is ca. 0.501 S m-1 at 800ºC [3]) and the thick electrolyte (ca. 2.203 S m-1 at 800ºC [4]). Improvements are being introduced to the anode material by including nickel, which will contribute to increase the hydrogen oxidation kinetics while CMO protects the electrode from carbon deposition when syngas is used as fuel. Presently, activation losses represent ca. 28% of the total voltage losses at the maximum power density. It has been reported that for SOFCs using syngas as fuel, the anode active sites are more occupied by carbon monoxide molecules due to their slower oxidation kinetics in comparison with hydrogen. Nevertheless, carbon monoxide is also susceptible to undergo a surface reforming process via the water-gas shift reaction. Such phenomenon becomes more relevant at high carbon monoxide concentrations, which was the case in this study (50% v/v CO), thus favoring the electricity generation through hydrogen oxidation at the anode surface [2].For the SOFC using humidified syngas as fuel, the model assumes that the desorption equilibrium pressure of hydrogen (pH2 *) on the surface of molybdenum in the CMO|CMO-YSZ anode is equal to that reported for humidified hydrogen on the surface of nickel in Ni-YSZ anodes (0.09 atm) [5]. Figure 1.b shows the results obtained for the sensitivity analysis of the model as a function of pH2 *, which indicates that unless its value is increased by ca. 220% over 0.09 atm the exchange current density for carbon monoxide oxidation (j0,CO) does not go below its lower confidence limit. It is unlikely that this parameter reaches such level of discrepancy because it implies that hydrogen adsorption at the anode surface is strongly diminished, thus electrochemical oxidation kinetics decrease considerably which is not consistent with the experimental observations.Future work includes the analysis of the kinetic parameters dependence on the temperature and the fuels partial pressures.

Bell shape vs volcano shape pH dependent kinetics of the electrochemical oxidation of formic acid and formate, intrinsic kinetics or local pH shift?

The interfacial pH at the electrode/electrolyte interface (pHs) and reaction kinetics of electrochemical oxidation of formic acid in the presence or absence of buffers are carried out. The transform from bell shape to volcano shape pH dependence of formic acid oxidation reaction (FOR) is clarified by considering both pHs drift and buffer effect. The Diagram of pHs as a function of FOR current density (j) in solutions with bulk pH (pHb) from 0 to 14 with/without buffers are constructed by numeral calculations, which are compared with experimental results of FOR on Pt and Au. Our study reveals that i) In solutions with 5< pHb <10 free of buffer or with limit buffer capability, there is significant pHs drop and drift of the thermodynamic equilibrium potential (Eeq); ii) FOR on both Pt and Au has a bell shape intrinsic pH dependence with maximum activity close to the pKa of HCOOH; iii) The observed volcano shape pH dependence of FOR activity with a plateau at 5<pHb<10 on top of the volcano is a coincidence related to pHs drift.

Kinetics of Thallium Dissolution in Aqueous Solutions of Hydrochloric Acid

Potentiometry is used to study the kinetics of electrochemical oxidation and reduction of thallium in aqueous solutions of hydrochloric acid. Kinetic parameters are calculated to characterize the mechanism of the electro-oxidation of thallium: coefficient of diffusion D, heterogeneous rate constant ks of the electrode process, and effective activation energy Eeff. The effect the modes of electrolysis (current density, electrolyte concentration, and temperature) have on the dimensional characteristics of the obtained thallium(I) chloride is studied. The optimum parameters of electrolysis for preparing dispersed powders of thallium(I) chloride are revealed.

Hybrid electrochemical and biological treatment of herbicidal ionic liquids comprising the MCPA anion

The present study was focused on the application of an electrochemical oxidation process combined with biodegradation for the removal of novel Herbicidal Ionic Liquids (HILs) –promising protection plant products which incorporate herbicidal anions and ammonium cations. The influence of carbon chain length (n = 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18) in the dialkyldimethylammonium cations on electrochemical oxidation kinetics, degradation efficiency and biodegradation by activated sludge was investigated. It was established that the applied cation influenced the heterogeneous rate constant and diffusion coefficient of electrochemical oxidation. The oxidation efficiency ranged from 17% in case of HILs with C8 alkyl chain to approx. 60% in case of HILs comprising C14 and C16 alkyl chains after 3 h of electrochemical treatment. Subsequent biodegradation studies revealed that electrochemical oxidation improved the mineralization efficiency of the studied HILs. The mineralization efficiency of electrochemically-treated HILs ranged from 28% in case of HILs comprising the C8 alkyl chain to 57% in case of HILs with C14 and C16 alkyl chains after 28 days. In case of untreated HILs, the corresponding mineralization efficiency ranged from 0 to 8%, respectively. This confirms the feasibility of a hybrid electrochemical-biological approach for treatment of herbicidal ionic liquids based on MCPA.

Self-template synthesis of biomass-derived 3D hierarchical N-doped porous carbon for simultaneous determination of dihydroxybenzene isomers

Nitrogen doped hierarchical porous carbon materials (HPCs) was achieved by the successful carbonization, using pig lung as biomass precursor. Three-dimensional HPCs constituted with sheets and lines were synergistically inherited from original pig lung. Such structure provided a large specific surface area (958.5 g−1 m2) and rich porous, effectively supported a large number of electro-active species, and greatly enhanced the mass and electron transfer. High graphitization degree of HPCs resulted in good electrical conductivity. Furthermore, the different electronegativity between nitrogen and carbon atoms in HPCs could affect the electron cloud distribution, polarity and then the electrochemical oxidation kinetics of dihydroxybenzene isomers. Based on these characteristics of HPCs, the electrochemical sensor for dihydroxybenzene isomers exhibited high sensitivity, excellent specificity and stability. Quantitative analysis assays by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technology showed that the sensor has wide linear ranges (0.5–320, 0.5–340 and 1–360 μmol L−1) and low detection limits (0.078, 0.057 and 0.371 μmol L−1) for the catechol, resorcinol and hydroquinone, respectively. This proposed method was successfully applied for simultaneous detection of dihydroxybenzene isomers in river water.

Electro-oxidation of nitrophenol by ruthenium oxide coated titanium electrode: Parametric, kinetic and mechanistic study

Present study investigates mechanism of electrochemical (EC) oxidative degradation of p-nitrophenol (PNP) by ruthenium oxide coated titanium (Ti/RuO2) electrode. First, the process proficiency was determined in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), current efficiency (CE) and specific energy consumption (SEC) under different experiment conditions of initial pH (pHo), current density (j), electrolyte concentration (m) and initial PNP concentration (Co). Maximum COD and TOC removal efficiencies of 98.9% and 81.9%, respectively, were obtained at j=168.9A/m2, pHo=5.5, Co=100mg/L and m=300mg/L with SEC of 535.7kWh/kg COD. PNP degradation mechanism has also been proposed on the basis of identification of intermediates by gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Various intermediates such as quinine, benzoquinone, organic acids and small mineralization products were obtained during the EC treatment of PNP. PNP was found to be oxidized by both direct (hydroxyl radical generated via water electrolysis on anode surface) and indirect (via mediators, hypochlorous acid and active chlorine generated during chlorine oxidation in solution) EC oxidation. Kinetics of EC oxidation was represented by pseudo-first order kinetic model.

Kinetic modeling of electrochemical oxidation of phenol on boron-doped diamond anode in the presence of some inorganic species

Phenolic wastewater from many industries contains inorganic species such as cyanide, sulfide, ammonium, thiocyanate, etc. Presence of these inorganic pollutants in phenolic wastewater could hinder the proper understanding of phenol oxidation kinetics when chemical oxygen demand (COD) decay data are used in the kinetic modeling, because these inorganic species exert oxygen demand as phenol. Unlike COD decay data, total organic carbon (TOC) decay data does not have any correlation with such inorganic species, and also available TOC measurements techniques are currently better in terms of automation, accuracy, and reliability compared with COD measurement techniques. In the present study, the kinetics of electrochemical oxidation of phenol on boron-doped diamond anodes in synthetic wastewater containing sulfide, cyanide, and ammonia species in single, binary, tertiary, and quaternary mix matrixes were modeled via employing current limiting modeling (CLM) using TOC in addition to traditional COD decay data. For all the different mix matrixes investigated, comparable trends describing the kinetics of electrochemical oxidation process were obtained for both the COD and the TOC decay models. Statistical diagnostics of the developed COD and TOC decay models parameters revealed that the operating regimes of the oxidation processes were accurately predicted to be limited by mass transfer. These results establish the suitability of using TOC decay for the CLM of phenol oxidation kinetics both in the presence and absence of the inorganic species. Based on these results in relation to the disparity between COD and TOC as parameters for evaluating phenol oxidation kinetics, it was concluded that TOC decay data are more appropriate compared with COD decay data for the CLM of kinetics of electrochemical oxidation of phenol in wastewater containing inorganic species that exert oxygen demand.

Liquid antimony anode direct carbon fuel cell fueled with mass-produced de-ash coal

A liquid antimony (Sb) anode DCFC (direct carbon fuel cell) is fabricated on a smooth single crystal YSZ (Yttria Stabilized Zirconia) electrolyte substrate with porous Pt cathode to reveal the intrinsic reaction kinetics of electrochemical oxidation of liquid Sb and the reduction reaction characteristics of Sb2O3 with the reaction mass-produced Taixi de-ash coal fuel. The reduction kinetics of Sb2O3 with the de-ash coal is obtained using a temperature programmed reaction testing system. The reaction kinetics of the Sb2O3 with the de-ash coal can be enhanced by decreasing the coal particle size, and by adding de-ash coal into the anode chamber. The Sb2O3 accumulation at the interface between anode and electrolyte lead to the increase of ohmic resistance. While effective reaction active sites increase when the mole content of oxygen ion conductor Sb2O3 increase at the earlier stage of the cell discharging processes which further decrease the electrode polarization. The Si and Fe in the ash possibly accumulate at the interface between anode and electrolyte.

Electron-transfer studies of a peroxide dianion.

A peroxide dianion (O2(2-)) can be isolated within the cavity of hexacarboxamide cryptand, [(O2)⊂mBDCA-5t-H6](2-), stabilized by hydrogen bonding but otherwise free of proton or metal-ion association. This feature has allowed the electron-transfer (ET) kinetics of isolated peroxide to be examined chemically and electrochemically. The ET of [(O2)⊂mBDCA-5t-H6](2-) with a series of seven quinones, with reduction potentials spanning 1 V, has been examined by stopped-flow spectroscopy. The kinetics of the homogeneous ET reaction has been correlated to heterogeneous ET kinetics as measured electrochemically to provide a unified description of ET between the Butler-Volmer and Marcus models. The chemical and electrochemical oxidation kinetics together indicate that the oxidative ET of O2(2-) occurs by an outer-sphere mechanism that exhibits significant nonadiabatic character, suggesting that the highest occupied molecular orbital of O2(2-) within the cryptand is sterically shielded from the oxidizing species. An understanding of the ET chemistry of a free peroxide dianion will be useful in studies of metal-air batteries and the use of [(O2)⊂mBDCA-5t-H6](2-) as a chemical reagent.

Performance Characteristics of Liquid Antimony Anode Direct Carbon Fuel Cell

A liquid Sb anode direct carbon fuel cell is fabricated on a smooth single crystal YSZ electrolyte (Ra=0.67nm) substrate with porous Pt cathode to reveal the intrinsic reacting kinetics of electrochemical oxidation of liquid Sb in battery mode and the reduction characteristic of Sb2O3 in carbon fuel mode using Taixi de-ash coal. And the reduction kinetics of Sb2O3 with the de-ash coal is obtain using the temperature programmed reaction testing system. The intrinsic exchange current density of the liquid Sb anode is 15A m-2. The reaction kinetics of the Sb2O3 with the de-ash coal, can be enhanced by decreasing the coal particle size. And by adding the de-ash coal into the anode chamber, the performance can be improved and keep stable. Since Sb2O3 is an oxygen ion conductor, the performance can be enhanced at the beginning. And the distribution of Sb / Sb2O3 at the anode has important effects on the liquid Sb DCFC performance.

Kinetics of the electrochemical oxidation of 1,1-bis-hydroperoxy-4-methylcyclohexane on platinum

The electrochemical synthesis of 3,12-dimethyl-7,8,15,16-tetraoxadispiro[5.2.5.2]hexadecane (1,2,4,5-tetraoxane) from 1,1-bis-hydroperoxy-4-methylcyclohexane on platinum electrode in a cell with separated and unseparated cathode and anode space in an aprotic solvent is conducted. The kinetics of electrochemical oxidation of 1,1-bis(hydroperoxy)-4-methylcyclohexane is studied. The current yield of the reaction is determined.

Vertical graphene nanoflakes for the immobilization, electrocatalytic oxidation and quantitative detection of DNA

Vertical graphene nanoflake integrated films having a high density of edge planes have been used as an electrochemical platform to systematically investigate the immobilization, electrochemical oxidation kinetics and direct quantitative determination of native DNA. Consistently, both transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy observations demonstrate the presence of a self-assembled monolayer of native DNA, immobilized on the graphene nanoflakes. Graphene shows excellent electrocatalytic activity for the electrooxidation of double stranded DNA, better than carbon nanotubes and glassy carbon, due to the abundance of electrocatalytic graphene edges present not only at the top but also along the sides of each graphene nanoflake.

Kinetics of electrochemical oxidation of neptunium ions in nitric acid solutions containing potassium phosphotungstate K10P2W17O61

The kinetics of electrochemical oxidation of Np(IV) and Np(V) ions on a smooth platinum electrode in a 1 M HNO3 solution containing potassium phosphotungstate K10P2W17O61 (KPW) was studied by spectrophotometry. For the redox reactions under consideration, the rate laws were determined, the rate constants were calculated, and the schemes of transformations of Np ions were suggested. The electrochemical oxidation of Np(IV) and Np(V) is described by the first-order rate law with respect to the Np(IV) and Np(V) concentrations, respectively. The rate constants of these reactions are close and comparable with the rate constant of the Np(V) disproportionation.

Electrochemical oxidation of lignin at IrO 2-based oxide electrodes

In this study, four IrO 2-based electrodes (Ti/Ta 2O 5–IrO 2, Ti/SnO 2–IrO 2, Ti/RuO 2–IrO 2 and Ti/TiO 2–IrO 2) were fabricated using the thermal decomposition method. Their morphology and composition were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The stability and electrocatalytic activity of the prepared IrO 2-based electrodes were investigated. The catalytic activity of the prepared electrodes was examined for the electrochemical oxidation of lignin. In situ UV/vis spectroscopy was used to monitor the concentration changes of lignin with time and to study the kinetics of the electrochemical oxidation of lignin. The effects of the temperature and the applied current densities on the oxidation of lignin were also investigated. HPLC was employed to identify the products resulting from the electrochemical oxidation of lignin, revealing that the primary products were vanillin and vanillic acid. Our study shows that in situ UV–vis spectroscopy is an effective technique to study the kinetics of electrochemical oxidation of lignin and that the Ti/RuO 2–IrO 2 electrode exhibits the highest stability and activity for lignin degradation among the four IrO 2-based electrodes which makes it a promising electrode for the electrochemical oxidation of lignin to value-added products.

Pore-scale investigation of mass transport and electrochemistry in a solid oxide fuel cell anode

The development and validation of a model for the study of pore-scale transport phenomena and electrochemistry in a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) anode are presented in this work. This model couples mass transport processes with a detailed reaction mechanism, which is used to model the electrochemical oxidation kinetics. Detailed electrochemical oxidation reaction kinetics, which is known to occur in the vicinity of the three-phase boundary (TPB) interfaces, is discretely considered in this work. The TPB regions connect percolating regions of electronic and ionic conducting phases of the anode, nickel (Ni) and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), respectively; with porous regions supporting mass transport of the fuel and product. A two-dimensional (2D), multi-species lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to describe the diffusion process in complex pore structures that are representative of the SOFC anode. This diffusion model is discretely coupled to a kinetic electrochemical oxidation mechanism using localized flux boundary conditions. The details of the oxidation kinetics are prescribed as a function of applied activation overpotential and the localized hydrogen and water mole fractions. This development effort is aimed at understanding the effects of the anode microstructure within TPB regions. This work describes the methods used so that future studies can consider the details of SOFC anode microstructure.

The influence of TiO 2 and aeration on the kinetics of electrochemical oxidation of phenol in packed bed reactor

The electrochemical oxidation of phenolic wastewater in a lab-scale reactor, packed into granular activated carbon (GAC) with Ti/SnO 2 anodes and stainless steel cathodes, was interpreted in this study. GAC saturated rapidly if it was only used as sorbent, but application of suitable electric energy for the system simultaneously could recover the adsorption ability of GAC and maintain the continuous running effectively. The titanium dioxide (TiO 2) as catalyst and airflow were also applied to the electrochemical reactor to examine the enhancement for phenol oxidation process. Results revealed that the electrochemical degradation of phenol could be reasonably described by first-order kinetics. In addition, it was illustrated that acid region, increased voltage, more dosage of TiO 2 and higher aeration intensity were all beneficial parameters for phenol oxidation rates. By inspecting the relationship between the rate constants ( k) and influencing factors, respectively, an overall kinetic model for phenol oxidation was proposed. The kinetics obtained from the experiments under corresponding electrochemical conditions could provide an accurate estimation of phenol concentration effluent and better design of the packed bed reactor.

Carbon supported Pt–Co (3:1) alloy as improved cathode electrocatalyst for direct ethanol fuel cells

In direct alcohol fuel cells, ethanol crossover causes a less serious effect compared to that of methanol because of both its smaller permeability through the Nafion ® membrane and its slower electrochemical oxidation kinetics on a Pt/C cathode. The main interest in direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) is to find an anode catalyst with high activity for the oxidation of ethanol. However, due to the low activity of pure platinum for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), research on cathode electrocatalysts with improved ORR and the same or improved ethanol tolerance than that of Pt are also in progress. In this work, a commercial carbon supported Pt–Co (3:1) electrocatalyst (E-TEK) was investigated as cathode material in DEFCs and the activity compared to that of Pt. In the cathodic potential region (0.7–0.9 V versus RHE) Pt/C and Pt–Co/C showed the same activity for the oxidation of crossover ethanol. But the performance of Pt–Co/C as cathode material in DEFCs in the temperature range 60–100 °C is better than that of Pt/C both in terms of mass activity and specific activity, due to an improved activity of the alloy for oxygen reduction.