High activity of Pt4Mo alloy for the electrochemical oxidation of formic acid

Surface processes on Pt4Mo alloy well-defined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were studied in acid solution by cyclic voltammetry. It was established that Mo in the alloy is much more resistant toward electrochemical dissolution than pure Mo. During the potential cycling of Pt4Mo surfaces in completely quiescent electrolyte, hydrous Mo-oxide could be generated on Mo sites. Investigation of the formic acid oxidation revealed that this type of Mo-oxide enhances the reaction rate by more than I order of magnitude with respect to pure Pt. Surface poisoning by COads is significantly lower on Pt4Mo alloy than on pure Pt. The effect of hydrous Mo-oxide on the HCOOH oxidation rate was explained through the facilitated removal of the poisoning species and through its possible influence on the intrinsic rate of the direct reaction path.