Morphology-dependent activity of silver nanostructures towards the electro-oxidation of formaldehyde

Morphological controlled silver nanoproducts have been prepared using the polyol process through varying the concentration of Na2S. The relationship between the shape of Ag nanocatalyst and the activity for electro-oxidation of formaldehyde has also been investigated. The Ag nanoproducts were found to be efficient electrocatalysts for anodic oxidation of formaldehyde in alkaline solutions. Activity and selectivity were strongly dependent on the morphology of the silver nanoproducts. It was found that silver nanorods were more active than nanowires, nanopolyhedra and nanospheres. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.