Palladium nanoparticles supported on hollow mesoporous tungsten trioxide microsphere as electrocatalyst for formic acid oxidation

Abstract

Hollow mesoporous tungsten trioxide microsphere (HMTTS) was synthesized by spay drying method and employed as the support material for Pd catalyst. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Pd nanoparticles had a face-centered cubic crystal structure and were well dispersed on the external walls of HMTTS. The as-prepared Pd/HMTTS catalyst exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity and good stability during formic acid oxidation in comparison to Pd/WO3 catalyst. The enhanced catalytic performance is attributed to the unique structure and surface properties of HMTTS and the hydrogen spillover effect which greatly accelerates the direct dehydrogenation of formic acid on palladium. © Editorial office of Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica.