Oxygen reduction and fuel oxidation in alkaline solution

This paper reviews work carried out over a number of years to try to elucidate the mechanism of oxygen reduction and methanol oxidation in alkaline solution. We have sought to achieve this by combining electrochemical, spectroscopic and solid-state chemical approaches, bringing together as wide a variety of techniques as possible both to shed light on the mechanisms and to point the way to more effective and efficient fuel cells. This work has become considerably more topical in recent years with the development of anion-exchange electrolyte membranes that can operate in alkaline environments, an important advance since it permits both the use of non-noble-metal catalysts and organic fuels at the anode, the latter precluded in aqueous alkaline electrolyte due to precipitation of inorganic carbonates at the electrode surface.