Irreversibly adsorbed tri-metallic PTBIPD/C electrocatalyst for the efficient formic acid oxidation reaction

Abstract

The PtBi/C and PtBiPd/C electrocatalysts were synthesized via the irreversible adsorption of Pd and Bi ions precursors on commercial Pt/C catalysts. XRD and XPS revealed the formation of an alloy structure among Pt, Bi, and Pd atoms. The current of direct formic acid oxidation (Id) increased ~ 8 and 16 times for the PtBi/C and PtBiPd/C catalysts, respectively, than that of commercial Pt/C because of the electronic, geometric, and third body effects. In addition, the increased ratio between the current of direct formic acid oxidation (Id) and the current of indirect formic acid oxidation (Iind) for the PtBi/ C and PtBiPd/C catalysts suggest that the dehydrogenation pathway is dominant with less CO formation on these catalysts.