Formic Acid and Methanol Oxidation for Pt/C Catalyst Depending on Rotating Speed, Scan Rate and Concentration

The oxidation of small organic molecules on the catalyst under electrocatalytic conditions is important for the

operation of liquid feed fuel cells. The basic reaction mechanisms toward the oxidation of methanol and formic

acid continue to be a matter of debate under real operational conditions of electrochemical systems. The

electrocatalytic activity of the commercial Pt/C catalyst was investigated in sulfuric acid/methanol and sulfuric

acid/formic acid mixtures using electrochemical measurements. This work presents the variation of formic acid

and methanol oxidation on the catalyst depending on hydrodynamic conditions using the rotating disk

electrode. Cyclic voltammograms were obtained at different scan rates, rotating speeds and concentrations. As

the rotating speed increases, the oxidation activity of formic acid and methanol decrease under voltammetric

measurements. The peak currents of formic acid and methanol oxidation increased with the increase in the scan

rate and concentration.