On the origin of reactive Pd catalysts for an electrooxidation of formic acid

We investigated the origin of the reactive surface of Pd catalysts during the electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid. XPS analysis was the primary tool adapted to characterize the surface changes in Pd catalysts arising from interactions with formic acid. Pd catalysts showed fast deactivation, though their activity could be simply recovered by applying a reduction potential at which hydrogen evolution reaction can occur. XPS analysis revealed that the surface of Pd catalysts is significantly affected by interaction with formic acid, thus confirming that the surface coverage of oxygen species plays an important role in formic acid electrooxidation on the Pd catalysts. At the same time, mass transfer of formic acid also has an effect on the deactivation of Pd catalysts.