Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
181848 | Electrochemistry Communications | 2009 | 4 Pages |
The direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) is an interesting alternative for the electrochemical power generation at lower temperatures due to its high anode theoretical specific capacity (5Ahg-1). However, the borohydride oxidation reaction (BOR) is a very complex eight-electron reaction, influenced by the nature of the electrode material (catalytic or not with respect to BH4- hydrolysis), the [BH4-]/[OH-] ratio and the temperature.In order to understand the BOR mechanism, we performed in situ infrared reflectance spectroscopy measurements (SPAIRS technique) in 1 M NaOH/1 M NaBH4NaBH4 with the aim to study intermediate reactions occurring on a gold electrode (a poor BH4- hydrolysis catalyst). We monitored several bands in B–H (1184 cm−1) and B–O bond regions (1326 and 1415 cm−1), appearing sequentially with increasing electrode polarisation. Thanks to these experimental findings, we propose possible initial elementary steps for the BOR.