An Unifying Framework for Understanding the Electrooxidation of Small Organic Molecules for Fuel Cell Applications

Abstract

This thesis aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the electrooxidation of small oxygenates for low temperature fuel cell applications, which can satisfactorily explain many of the experimental observations spanning over a diverse range of catalysts and operating conditions. This is by reconciling the many disagreements in the current literature on reaction mechanisms, and infilling the knowledge gaps between systems with different combinations of catalysts, fuels and operating conditions, together with our own experimental supporting evidences.

Studied operating conditions include potential, acidic and strong alkaline solution, temperature, catalyst loading per electrode surface area. Studied catalysts include Monometallic Pt with different surface geometries, bimetallic Pt-Ru and Pt-Sn, monometallic Pd. Studied molecules include CO, HCOOH, H2CO and its hydrated form H2C(OH)2, CH3CHO and CH3CH(OH)2, CH3COOH, CH3OH, CH3CH2OH.