CO and Formate Pathway of Methanol Electrooxidation at Rhodium Electrodes in Alkaline Media: An Electrochemical Attenuated Total Refection Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy and Infrared Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy Investigation.

Rh catalysts exhibit unexpected high activity for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in alkaline conditions, making them potential anodic catalysts for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Nevertheless, the MOR mechanism on Rh electrodes has not been clarified thus far, which impedes the development of high-efficiency Rh-based MOR catalysts. To investigate it, a combination of electrochemical techniques called attenuated total refection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) is used.

Ethanol Electrooxidation on Rhodium-Lead Catalysts in Alkaline Media: High Mass Activity, Long-Term Durability, and Considerable CO Selectivity.

Rhodium (Rh)-based catalysts may solve the long-standing inefficient oxidation of ethanol for direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs); however, the performance of ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) on existing Rh-based catalysts are far limited. Herein, the Rh-Pb catalysts are synthesized by building Pb and Pb oxide around Rh nanodomain, which shows highly efficient splitting CC bond and facile further oxidation of as-generated C1 intermediates (CO and CH fragments). It exhibits an ever-highest EOR peak mass activity of ≈2636 mA mg among Rh-based catalysts in alkaline media.