Structural design and facile synthesis of a highly efficient catalyst for formic acid electrooxidation

Abstract

The pathway of formic acid electrooxidation strongly depends on the amount of three neighbouring Pt or Pd atoms in the surface of Pd- or Pt-based catalysts. Here, Pt decorated Pd/C nanoparticles (the optimal atomic ratio, Pd : Pt = 20 : 1) were designed and then synthesized through a facile galvanic replacement reaction where the amount of three neighbouring Pt or Pd atoms markedly decreased. As a result, discontinuous Pd and Pt atoms suppressed CO formation and exhibited unprecedented catalytic activity and stability toward formic acid electrooxidation while the cost was almost the same as that of Pd/C.