Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1290775 | Journal of Power Sources | 2007 | 4 Pages |
Abstract
In this paper, it is reported for the first time that a carbon-supported Au (Au/C) catalyst for the cathodic catalyst in a direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC) was prepared using a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) protection method. The results indicated that for oxygen reduction, the electrocatalytic activity of the Au/C catalyst prepared with the PVA protection method is much better than that of a Au/C catalyst prepared with the pre-precipitation method. This is due to the small average size and low relative crystallinity of the Au particles in the Au/C catalyst prepared by the PVA protection method, compared to that of the Au/C catalyst prepared by the pre-precipitation method, illustrating that the average size and the relative crystallinity of the Au particles has an effect on the electrocatalytic activity of the Au/C catalyst for oxygen reduction. In addition, because Au has no electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of formic acid, the Au/C catalyst possesses a high formic acid tolerance. After the electrocatalytic activity of the Au/C catalyst for the oxygen reduction is improved, it is suitable to be used as the cathodic catalyst in DFAFC.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Authors
Wei Chen, Yawen Tang, Jianchun Bao, Ying Gao, Changpeng Liu, Wei Xing, Tianhong Lu,