Oxygen electrocatalytic oxidation from

The electrocatalytic activity of the nanostructured catalysts was investigated for electrocatalytic reduction of oxygen and oxidation of methanol. Several selected examples are discussed in this section. The results from electrochemical characterization of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are first described. This description is followed by discussion of the results from electrochemical characterization of the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). 

From the above discussion it becomes apparent that some conflicting experimental evidence exists on hydrocarbon adsorption and on surface intermediates. This arises primarily from the use of electrocatalysts of varying histories and pretreatments. It should be stressed that many adsorption studies were performed on anodically pretreated platinum. The removal of surfaces oxides from such electrodes may have not been always accomplished when the surface was cathodically reduced in some experiments, as outlined in Section IV,D. Obviously, different surface species could exist on bare or on oxygen-covered electrocatalysts. Characterization of surface structure and activity and of adsorbed species using modern spectroscopic techniques would provide useful information for fuel cell and selective electrocatalytic oxidations and reductions. 

Apart from poisoning by adsorbing impurities, the working electrode potential can also contribute to suppress electrocatalytic activity. Platinum metals, for instance, passivate or form surface oxygen and oxide layers above 1 V (Section IV,D), which inhibit Oj reduction (779,257,252) and oxidation of carbonaceous reactants (7, 78, 253, 254) however, decomposition of hydrogen peroxide on platinum is accelerated by oxygen layers (255). Some electrocatalysts may corrode or dissolve, especially in acidic electrolytes, while reactants may contribute to dissolution. Thus, ethylene oxidation on palladium to acetaldehyde proceeds via a Pd-ethylene complex, which releases colloidal palladium in solution (28, 29). Equivalent to this is the surface roughening and the loss of Pt in gas phase ammonia oxidation (256, 257). 

In this section we will discuss the role of surface modification to enhance electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol, one of the interesting components for fuel cell technology. Perhaps the most successful promoter of methanol electrooxidation is ruthenium. Pt/Ru catalysts appear to exhibit classical bifunctional behavior, whereas the Pt atoms dissociate methanol and the ruthenium atoms adsorb oxygen-containing species. Both platinmn and ruthenimn atoms are necessary for eomplete oxidation to occur at a significant rate. The bifunctional mechanism can account for a decrease in poisoning from methanol, as observed for Pt/Ru alloys. Indeed, CO oxidation has been attributed to a bifimctional mechanism that reduces the overpotential of this reaction by 0.1 V on the Pt/Ru surface. 

Under operation, electrons from the external circuit are utilized in the electrocatalytic reduction of molecular oxygen to oxygen anions at the cathode. These anions migrate through the electrolyte from the cathode to the anode. Fuel is electrocatalytically oxidized at the anode (consuming the oxygen anions) and the... 

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