Effects of catalyst load in Pt and Pb-based catalysts using formic acid oxidation as a model

Autor(es)

Buzzo, G. S. ^[1] ; Orlandi, M. J. B. ^[1] ; Teixeira-Neto, E. ^[2] ; Homem-de-Mello, P. ^[1] ; Lopes, A. C. G. ^[1] ; Franco-Junior, E. ^[1] ; Suffredini, H. B. ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Fed ABC, Ctr Ciencias Nat & Humanas, Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Quim Fundamental, BR-05508000 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Journal of Power Sources; v. 199, p. 75-84, FEB 1 2012.
• Citações Web of Science: 5

Resumo

In this paper, we discuss the effects of catalyst load with respect to carbon powder for several Pt and Pb-based catalysts, using formic acid as a model molecule. The discussion is based on electrochemical tests, a complete morphological investigation and theoretical calculations. We show that the Pt and Pb-based catalysts presented activity in formic acid oxidation at very low catalyst loads (e.g., 0.5% in respect to the carbon content). Physical characterisations demonstrate that the electrodes are composed of separated phases of Pt and lead distributed in Pt nanometric-sized islands that are heterogeneously dispersed on the carbon support and Pb ultra-small particles homogeneously distributed throughout the entire carbon surface, as demonstrated by the microscopy studies. At high catalyst loads, very large clusters of Pb(x)O(y) could be observed. Electrochemical tests indicated an increase in the apparent resistance of the system (by a factor of 19.7 Omega) when the catalyst load was increased. The effect of lead in the materials was also studied by theoretical calculations (OFT). The main conclusion is that the presence of Pb atoms in the catalyst can improve the adsorption of formic acid in the catalytic system compared with a pure Pt-based catalyst. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 07/05370-0 - Estudo químico-quântico de corantes e de complexos de metais de transição
• Beneficiário: Paula Homem-de-Mello
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores
• Processo FAPESP: 07/05155-1 - Catalisadores heterogêneos preparados pelo método sol-gel e sua utilização em células a combustível e na síntese de biodiesel
• Beneficiário: Hugo Barbosa Suffredini
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores