Formic acid electrooxidation on carbon-supported PtCu catalyst

Over the last decade, fuel cell (FC) technology has grown in potential as an alternative energy source. Platinum (Pt)- based electrocatalysts, deposited over high surface area carbon, are often used as anodic catalysts in the formic acid oxidation (FAO) reaction. However, the most significant problem with utilizing Pt as an anodic catalyst for FAO is the creation of intermediate carbon monoxide (CO), which poisons the Pt surface by blocking the active sites and thus reduces the overall fuel cell performance. Since Pt is an expensive and rare precious metal, recent research has focused on lowering the amount of Pt present in the catalyst by forming alloys, wherein a portion of platinum is substituted with more affordable metals such as Sn, Ni, Cu or Co. High catalytic activity and especially stability of catalysts are dependent on the quality of supporting material used. Carbon (Vulcan XC-72R) is still one of the most widely utilized commercial carbon supports because of its high surface area, porosity, and superior electrical conductivity, the essential features ensuring homogeneous catalyst dispersion. In this work, a PtCu/C catalyst was synthesized by the microwave-assisted polyol method. The produced catalyst was electrochemically characterized using cyclic voltammetry and the oxidation of the adsorbed CO monolayer. Activity and stability of synthesized catalysts for the formic acid oxidation reaction in 0.5 M sulfuric acid were investigated. The obtained result indicates that the activity of the synthesized catalyst was improved, in comparison to the pure Pt/C catalyst, thanks to the synergistic effects caused by the addition of Cu, through bifunctional and electronic effects.