Pd oxides/hydrous oxides as highly efficient catalyst for formic acid electrooxidation

A novel Pd-based catalyst for formic acid electrooxidation (FAEO) was prepared by annealing commercial Pd/C catalyst under the O2 atmosphere at 100 °C, which exhibits excellent catalytic activity and stability for FAEO due to introduction of Pd oxides/hydrous oxides (POHOs). The catalytic activity of the as-prepared catalyst towards FAEO is 1.86 times of the commercial Pd/C catalyst in 0.5 M H2SO4 + 0.5 M HCOOH solution. Chronoamperometric curves show obvious improvement of the as-prepared catalyst electrocatalytic stability for FAEO. It is confirmed that POHOs can provide the required oxygen species for intermediate CO oxidation during the oxidation process of formic acid.