Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2007, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (05): 723-727.doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB20070519

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Methanol Oxidation on a Pt ElectrodeModified by Underpotential Deposition of Ru

LI Lan-Lan; WEI Zi-Dong; YAN Can; LUO Yi-Hui; YIN Guang-Zhi; SUN Cai-Xin   

  1. Key Laboratory of High Voltage Engineering and Electrical New Technology of the Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, P. R. China; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, P. R. China; School of Material Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, P. R. China; Key Laboratory of Exploitation of Southwestern Resources&the Environmental Disaster Control Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, P. R. China
  • Received:2006-10-31 Revised:2006-12-04 Published:2007-04-28
  • Contact: WEI Zi-Dong E-mail:zdwei@cqu.edu.cn

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Abstract: Underpotential deposition (upd) of rutheniumon a platinumelectrode was adopted to obtain a submonolayer of ruthenium on platinum surface. Ru coverage was evaluated according to the change of the hydrogen desorption area in the cyclic voltammograms (CV) of Pt electrodes before and after upd-Ru modification in 0.5 mol·L-1 H2SO4. The effects
of the potential for formation of upd-Ru and coverage of upd-Ru adtoms on methanol oxidation were investigated and analyzed. It was shown that Ru adatoms could be underpotentially deposited on a platinum surface. The submonolayer of upd-Ru on the Pt electrode could enhance methanol electrooxidation several times as large as that on the pure Pt electrode. It was also shown that as long as the amount of upd-Ru adatoms was controlled in a proper range, upd-Ru deposits would enhance the methanol oxidation independently of the deposition potential. The catalytic activity of binary Pt-Ru catalysts for methanol electrooxidation was highly associated with the surface composition of Pt and Ru, but was free of whether Pt-Ru deposits appear in a formof alloy, bimetallic compounds, adatoms, or something else.

Key words: Underpotential deposition, Methanol electrooxidation, Upd-Ru/Pt electrode