Enhanced catalytic performance of Pd catalyst for formic acid electrooxidation in ionic liquid aqueous solution

• Protic n-butylammonium nitrate ionic liquid is prepared and used as electrolyte.
• Pd catalysts show superior catalytic activities for FAOR in IL aqueous solution.
• Pd oxides play a crucial role in increasing the catalytic activity of Pd.
• The apparent activation energy for FAOR in IL aqueous solution is much lower.

A protic ionic liquid (IL), n-butylammonium nitrate (N4NO3), is prepared and employed as the electrolyte for formic acid electrooxidation reaction (FAOR) on Pd catalysts. The oxidation peak potential of FAOR in the IL solution shows about a 200 mV negative shift as compared with those in traditional H2SO4/HClO4 electrolytes, suggesting that FAOR can be more easily carried out on Pd catalysts in IL media. The catalytic properties of Pd toward FAOR are not only dependent on the concentration of IL, as a consequence of the varied electronic conductivity of the IL solution, but also on the high potential limit of the cyclic voltammograms. When the Pd catalyst is cycled up to 1.0 V (vs. SCE), which induces a significant oxidation of Pd, it shows ca. 4.0 times higher activity than that not subjected to the Pd oxidation (up to 0.6 V). The Pd oxides, which are more easily formed in IL solution than in traditional H2SO4/HClO4 electrolytes, may play a crucial role in increasing the catalytic activities of Pd toward FAOR. Our work would shed new light on the mechanism of FAOR and highlight the potential applications of IL as green and environment-friendly electrolytes in fuel cells and other technologies.