General Remarks on Practical Electrocatalysts

In practical systems or devices, the important characteristic of a catalyst electrode is watts per unit cost, or moles reacted per unit cost. This requires stability, corrosion resistance, high surface area, and sheer performance. 

In general, the platinum metals have performances that outweigh their cost, and they can be used at very low loadings. In fuel cells, 0.5 mg cm of Pt at 80 m g will outperform any other catalyst in performance and cost ( - 45/kW). Poorer catalysts, e.g., silver in alkaline solutions, require heavier loadings to reach comparable levels of performance, and hence function less well (diffusion losses), in a vicious circle. 

It is beyond the scope of this chapter to discuss the preparation and properties of high-surface-area catalysts. This is reviewed in detail in Ref. 147. 

Liebhafsky and E. J. Cairns, Fuel Cells and Fuel Batteries, Wiley, New York (1968), pp. 474-523. 

Frumkin, Z. Phys. Chem. A164,121 (1933) Acta Physicochim. URSS 6, 502 (1937). 

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