High efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid at Pt dispersed on porous poly(o-methoxyaniline)

A Pt-based composite electrode material has been developed by dispersing Pt nanoparticles on a porous poly(o-methoxyaniline) (POMA) film, which was produced via electropolymerization on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode. As-formed Pt/POMA/GC electrode was characterized by SEM, EDX and electrochemical analysis. Furthermore, the composite electrode material was evaluated by its electrocatalytic performance for formic acid oxidation using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods. Compared to Pt deposited on bare GC (Pt/GC), Pt/POMA/GC exhibits higher catalytic activity and stronger poisoning-tolerance ability towards formic acid electro-oxidation. The improved performance is attributed to the synergetic effect between Pt and POMA. Also, as demonstrated by CO stripping voltammograms, the interference of CO on Pt/POMA/GC is greatly weakened. These results suggest that the POMA film has great potential to serve as a promising support material for the electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid. Copyright (C) 2011, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.