Enhanced electro-oxidation of formic acid by a PdPt bimetallic catalyst on a CeO2-modified carbon support

PdPt bimetallic catalysts that employ CeO2-modified carbon black as a support have been prepared using an organic colloidal method. PdPt/CeO2-C shows excellent performance toward the anodic oxidation of formic acid. The effects of varying both Pd to Pt ratio and CeO2 content have been investigated. The optimal Pd to Pt atomic ratio is 15, indicating that addition of small amounts of Pt can significantly enhance the activity of the catalyst. When the CeO2 content in the catalyst reaches as high as ∼15 wt.%, the catalyst shows the maximum activity. Adding CeO2 not only enhances the catalytic activity of the material, but may also change the mechanism of its catalysis of the anodic oxidation of formic acid. Pd15Pt1/15CeO2-C exhibited 60% higher activity than Pd/C, and had a negative shift in onset potential of more than 0.1 V. Based on characterization by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and transmission electron microscopy, the interactions between the components are revealed and discussed in detail.