Characterization of Anodic Fuel Cell Catalysts Utilizing Various Surface Sensitive Techniques

The spontaneously deposited Pt/Pd catalyst was optimized. The optimum palladium coverage for unsupported platinum black was theta = 0.79, whereas for carbon-supported platinum black it was theta = 1.39. The catalyst was also inspected via EC-IRAS, which indicated the presence of palladium on the surface and smaller particle sizes. It also revealed a potential tool for determining the poison from formic acid oxidation on palladium nanoparticles. Further, the efficacy of methyl formate oxidation on the catalyst was examined. This fuel was determined to hold no advantages over formic acid for oxidation with the Pt/Pd catalyst. This study also revealed the inadequacy of methanol oxidation on the Pt/Pd catalyst. Radiolabeling with electrochemistry was used to examine the poison/potential and poison/environment relationships. Poison from methanol and formic acid was determined to be strongly adsorbed CO, which was replaceable by CO passed through the electrolyte. The potentiometric differences between methanol and formic acid oxidation were also studied on a platinum black substrate. Formic acid oxidation was determined to go through the direct CO2 pathway, with poison buildup from CO formation only observed in a dynamic experiment in the HUPD region, indicating a reverse water-gas shift. Finally, we attempted to identify the poison species from formic acid oxidation on palladium. The experiments revealed that palladium is not significantly poisoned by carbon-containing species during formic acid oxidation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Chemistry

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• McGovern, Matthew S.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Wieckowski, Andrzej

• Chemistry, Inorganic

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3130978

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/84137