Transients of the Open-Circuit Potential Observed during the Interaction of Formic Acid with Preliminarily Adsorbed Oxygen on a Platinized Platinum Electrode

Transients of the open-circuit potential, which are observed during the interaction of formic acid with preliminarily adsorbed oxygen (O_ads) on a Pt/Pt electrode in 0.5 M H₂SO₄, are measured. It is established, by means of the method of cathodic potentiodynamic pulses, that the slowest interaction of formic acid with O_ads occurs in the region of large coverages of the electrode surface by oxygen (θ_O ∼1–0.8). A presumption is put forward that the process rate in this region is defined by a direct reaction of O_ads with molecules of formic acid from the bulk solution. It is shown that the interaction of formic acid with O_ads in the region of intermediate coverages (θ_O ∼ 0.8–0.2) proceeds via a mechanism of “conjugated reactions.” Transients of the open-circuit potential for formic acid are compared to transients for carbon monoxide obtained in analogous conditions. The substantially shorter overall time of potential decay in the case of CO (at the same concentrations) is caused by a faster reaction of CO with adsorbed oxygen in the region of large θ_O. The difference is explained by assuming that the HCOOH adsorption as opposed to CO bears a dissociative character.__________Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 8, 2005, pp. 936–942.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Manzhos, Maksimov, Podlovchenko.     

Specific features of interaction between formic acid and oxygen adsorbed on smooth polycrystalline platinum: Transients of the open-circuit potential

Transients of the open-circuit potential, which are observed when formic acid is interacting wit adsorbed oxygen (O_ads) preliminarily accumulated on polycrystalline “smooth” platinum (pcPt), are measure in an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid. It is shown that, as with platinized platinum (Pt/Pt), at large coverage by adsorbed oxygen (θ_O = 1?0.8), adsorbed oxygen interacts directly with molecules of formic acid from solution. In the region of medium coverages (θ_O = 0.8?0.2), on the other hand, a mechanism of “conjugated reactions” is realized. It is established that, in the case of pcPt, the direct interaction of O_ads with molecules of HCOOH from solution proceeds slower by nearly three times and the interaction via the mechanism of “conjugated reactions,” faster by about three times, as compared with Pt/Pt.     

The effect of hydrocarbon chain length in normal aliphatic alcohols on their reaction with oxygen adsorbed on polycrystalline platinum electrode

The reaction of adsorbed oxygen (O_ads) with aliphatic alcohols n-C _n H_{2n + 1}OH with n = 2–5 is studied by the method of transients of open-circuit potential in combination with potentiodynamic pulses. It is shown that these alcohols react with O_ads by a mechanism the same as for CH₃OH. Kinetic parameters of these reactions are determined in ranges of high and medium surface coverages with O_ads. These data together with analogous results obtained earlier for CH₃OH were studied with the aim of elucidating how the length of the hydrocarbon chain affects the kinetics of interaction of alcohols with O_ads. The complex variations of the reaction rate with n (with a maximum) are explained by several factors among which the energy of the C–H bond at α-carbon atom and the degree hydration of alcohols should be singled out.     

Transients of the Open-Circuit Potential during Carbon Monoxide Interaction with Oxygen Preliminarily Adsorbed on Smooth and Platinized Platinum Electrodes

Variations of potential E in time , observed during the carbon monoxide interaction with preliminarily-adsorbed oxygen O_ads on smooth and platinized platinum electrodes under open-circuit conditions (supporting electrolyte 0.5 M H₂SO₄), are measured. The potential decay rate on smooth Pt is more than ten times that on Pt/Pt; there are some differences in the transients as well. The obtained data suggest that CO interacts with O_ads on smooth Pt and Pt/Pt via different mechanisms. Two models for the process on smooth platinum are considered. In one model, the interaction of O_ads with CO from solution is accepted as the rate-determining step; in the other, the interaction of O_ads with CO_ads. A comparison of theoretical E vs. dependences with experimental data using the MathCad program suggests that CO interacts with O_ads via both mechanisms.     

Variations of the charge and open-circuit potential during the ion adsorption with the formation of irreversibly adsorbed atoms

The transients of the current and open-circuit potential (OCP) for the B^z± ± ze → B_ad process, where B_ad is an irreversibly adsorbed atom, are described analytically. The analysis is based on the earlier obtained relationships for variations in the total charge and OCP of a hydrogen electrode during the irreversible adsorption of neutral species. A graphic method of estimating the OCP shifts and integral current transients (E^ads = const) corresponding to various surface coverages with B_ad is proposed. Dedicated to the ninetieth anniversary of Ya.M. Kolotyrkin’s birth.     

Mechanism of interaction of molecular hydrogen with adsorbed oxygen on platinum electrodes under open circuit conditions

Transients of open-circuit potential observed at the reaction of hydrogen molecules with oxygen preliminarily adsorbed (O_ads) on the smooth polycrystalline (pc Pt) and platinized platinum (Pt/Pt) electrodes are measured under conditions of controlled stirring of solution (0.5 M H₂ SO₄). The dependence of the surface coverage with O_ads(θ_O) on the potential in the cause of the potential decay on pc Pt are determined. It is found that for Pt/Pt, the reaction kinetics is largely determined by diffusion of H₂. For pc Pt in the range of high θ_O, the Eley-Ridiel mechanism is realized. For medium θ_O, the regions where the reaction obeys the mechanisms of Eley-Ridiel, “conjugated reactions”, and diffusion control are observed to overlap (even at the most intense stirring possible). The rate of H₂ reaction with O_ads is substantially higher compared with analogous reactions of CO, HCOOH, and CH₃OH.     

Formaldehyde interaction with adsorbed oxygen on open-circuit platinum electrodes in aqueous sulfuric acid solutions

The open circuit potential transients and cathodic potentiodynamic pulses were measured upon formaldehyde (methylene glycol) interaction with pre-adsorbed oxygen (O_ads) on Pt/Pt and pc Pt electrodes in aqueous sulfuric acid solutions. The slowest interaction of CH₂(OH)₂ with O_ads was observed in the high coverage range of the electrode surface (θ_O ～ 0.2 0.8 to 1). The process rate in this range is determined by the direct reaction of O_ads with CH₂(OH)₂ molecules from the bulk solution. In the middle surface oxygen coverage range (θ_O 0.2 to 0.8), CH₂(OH)₂ interaction with O_ads takes place by the mechanism of “conjugated reactions”. The kinetic parameters of reactions for CH₂(OH)₂, HCOOH, and CH₃ OH were compared. The rate of CH₂(OH)₂-O_ads interaction on Pt electrodes in the high oxygen coverage range was found higher by an order of magnitude than that of HCOOH and by two orders of magnitude than in the case of CH₃OH.     

Dissolution kinetics of hydrophilic metal at medium coverages of its surface by specifically adsorbed anions

The iron dissolution rate, determined earlier by a statistical calculation for low coverages of the surface by specifically adsorbed anions A_ads and oxygen atoms O_ads under the assumption that the dissolution and passivation processes are separated in space, is shown to be applicable for any coverages by A_ads. The calculation agrees with experiment if the short lifetime of A_ads (as compared with that of O_ads) is taken into account. Dedicated to the ninetieth anniversary of Ya.M. Kolotyrkin’s birth.     

Effect of ionic composition of solutions on the methanol reaction with adsorbed oxygen on smooth polycrystalline platinum electrodes: Transients of the open-circuit potential

Transients of the open-circuit potential observed in the reaction of methanol with oxygen (O_ads) preliminarily adsorbed on smooth polycrystalline platinum (pcPt) are measured in 0.05 M HClO₄, 0.5 M HClO₄, 0.05 M H₂SO₄, 0.05 M H₂SO₄ + 0.45 M Na₂SO₄, and 0.05 M H₂SO₄ + 0.45 M Cs₂SO₄. It is shown that the solution pH has a weak effect on the transient characteristics (when the reversible hydrogen electrode potential scale is used). This confirms the chemical nature of rate-controlling stages in the reaction mechanism. The changes in the reaction rate, observed upon going from one electrolyte to another, are preferentially associated with the involvement of solution ions in the formation of activated surface complexes that include CH₃OH, O_ads, and supporting-electrolyte components.     

Transients of the Current and Open-Circuit Potential Occurring during the Carbon Monoxide Adsorption on a Rhodium Electrode

Transients of the current and open-circuit potential are measured after bringing carbon monoxide in contact with an Rh/Pt electrode in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and 1 M HCl solutions. To interpret these transients from positions of theoretical views on the transients of the current and open-circuit potential that were developed previously for the adsorption of neutral species on a hydrogen electrode, curves of dependences of the total electrode charge on the electrode potential are plotted in the presence and absence of chemisorbed CO on the surface. Good agreement of theory with experiment is established. In 1 M H₂SO₄, values of the potential of a zero total charge (PZTC) in the absence and presence of CO_ads and values of the reverse potential happen to be close, whereas the PZTC in 1 M HCl perceptibly shifts in the positive direction as a result of the CO adsorption, while the reverse potential, conversely, falls in the region of potentials of hydrogen evolution on Rh. As a result of the latter, in 1 M HCl, throughout the entire range of potentials where restrictions of the employed modeling notions are obeyed, in accordance with theory, integrated values of the current transients have only a negative sign, and those of the open-circuit potential transients have only a positive sign.     

Effect of the Pt/Pt Electrode Roughness on the Interaction of CO with Oads

Transients of potential E during the CO-O_ads interaction on Pt/Pt electrodes of different roughness (f = 20-1200), measured in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ under open-circuit conditions, slow down with increasing f. Dependence of specific activity of Pt/Pt on f cannot be described by one CO-O_ads interaction mechanism in a wide range of f. At f < 100, more acceptable is the mechanism suggested earlier for polycrystalline (smooth) Pt, and at larger f—mechanism of conjugated reactions. Presumably, increasing f at small f reduces intrinsic electrocatalytic activity of the Pt surface, while at large f inner-diffusion limitations can arise.     

On the open-circuit interaction between methanol and oxidized platinum electrodes

In the present work, results of the interaction between methanol and oxidized platinum surfaces as studied via transients of open-circuit potentials are presented. The surface oxidation before the exposure to interaction with 0.5 M methanol was performed at different polarization times at 1.4 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). In spite of the small changes in the initial oxide content, the increase of the pre-polarization time induces a considerable increase of the time needed for the oxide consumption during its interaction with methanol. The influence of the identity of the chemisorbing anion on the transients was also investigated in the following media: 0.1 M HClO₄, 0.5 M H₂SO₄, and 0.5 M H₂SO₄ + 0.1 mM Cl⁻. It was observed that the transient time increases with the energy of anion chemisorption and, more importantly, without a change in the shape of the transient, meaning that free platinum sites are available at the topmost layer all over the transient and not only in the potential region of small oxide ‘coverage’. The impact of the pre-polarization time and the effect of anion chemisorption on the transients are rationalized in terms of the presence of surface and subsurface oxygen driven by place exchange.

Application of Statistical Lattice Models to the Analysis of Oscillatory and Autowave Processes in the Reaction of Carbon Monoxide Oxidation over Platinum and Palladium Surfaces

Statistical lattice models which imitate oscillatory and wave dynamics in the adsorbed layer during of carbon monoxide oxidation over Pt(100) and Pd(110) single crystals differing in the mechanism of autooscillation formation are compared. In the case of platinum, oscillations are due to phase transitions of the catalyst surface structure and surface reconstruction under the action of the reaction medium. In the case of palladium, the driving force of oscillations is phase transitions in the adsorbed layers on the catalyst surface, namely, the reversible formation of subsurface oxygen in the course of the reaction, which modifies the adsorption and catalytic properties of the surface. It is shown that, according to the proposed models, a change in the coverages (CO_ads O_ads) in the autooscillation regimes occurs via the formation of a surface wave whose front is characterized by the high concentration of catalytically active sites that provide the maximal rate of CO₂ molecule formation. Under certain conditions, the formation of various spatiotemporal structures is observed in simulation experiments.     

Special features of methanol interaction with adsorbed oxygen at platinized platinum electrode: Transients of the open-circuit potential

Open-circuit potential transients are measured under the conditions of methanol interaction with the pre-adsorbed oxygen at platinized platinum electrode. The time necessary for complete removal of the adsorbed oxygen monolayer appeared being shorter by a factor of ～1.5 as compared with smooth polycrystalline platinum. The dependence of platinum surface coverage with adsorbed oxygen on the potential during its decay is found. It was shown that the reaction of methanol with the adsorbed oxygen is most slow at a high coverage (1–0.8). It is suggested that at these coverages, like the case of polycrystalline platinum, the adsorbed oxygen directly interacts with the methanol molecules from the solution. At moderate coverages (0.8–0.2), the reaction of the adsorbed oxygen with methanol at the platinized platinum is better described by the “conjugated reactions” mechanism. The specific rates of the methanol dissociative adsorption at the platinized platinum turned out to be close to those observed earlier for the polycrystalline platinum.     

Experimental study of intermediates and wave phenomena in co oxidation on platinum metal (Pt,Pd) surfaces

The mechanism of catalytic CO oxidation on Pt(100) and Pd(110) single-crystal surfaces and on Pt and Pd sharp tip (～10³ Å) surfaces has been studied experimentally by temperature-programmed reaction, temperature desorption spectroscopy, field electron microscopy, and molecular beam techniques. Using the density functional theory the equilibrium states and stretching vibrations of oxygen atoms adsorbed on the Pt(100) surface have been calculated. The character of the mixed adsorption layer was established by high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy—molecular adsorption (O_2ads, CO_ads) on Pt(100)-hex and dissociative adsorption (O_ads, CO_ads) on Pt(100)-(1×1). The origin of kinetic self-oscillations for the isothermal oxidation of CO in situ was studied in detail on the Pt and Pd tips by field electron microscopy. The initiating role of the reversible phase transition (hex) ? (1 × 1) of the Pt(100) nanoplane in the generation of regular chemical waves was established. The origination of self-oscillations and waves on the Pt(100) nanoplane was shown to be caused by the spontaneous periodical transition of the metal from the low-active state (hex) to the highly active catalytic state (1 × 1). A relationship between the reactivity of oxygen atoms (O_ads) and the concentration of CO_ads molecules was revealed for the Pd(110) surface. Studies using the isotope label ¹⁸O_ads demonstrated that the low-temperature formation of CO₂ at 150 K is a result of the reaction of CO with the highly reactive state of atomic oxygen (O_ads). The possibility of the low-temperature oxidation of CO via interaction with the so-called “hot” oxygen atoms (O_hot) appearing on the surface at the instant of dissociation of O_2ads molecules was studied by the molecular beam techniques.     

Impedance measurements for nickel deposition in sulfate and chloride electrolytes

From the analysis of the impedance of nickel deposition, the electrode kinetics is shown to be dependent on the type of anion. In chloride electrolytes a slow electrode activation with cathodic polarization is predominant. In sulfate solutions a low-frequency capacitive feature, favored by a pH decrease, appears to result from interactions between the nickel and hydrogen discharges. An interpretation is proposed where the ad-ion Ni_ads^I acts as both a reaction intermediate and a catalyst associated with a propagating kink site, and where the adsorbed species H_ads^*, generated by the presence of Ni_ads^I, inhibit the hydrogen evolution. It is concluded that the active area is closely connected to the coverages by adsorbates.     

Concurrent oxygen reduction and methanol oxidation in sulfuric acid solutions on platinized platinum electrodes

Steady-state polarization curves are compared in solutions of 0.5 M H₂SO₄ + O₂ (saturated), 0.5 M H₂SO₄ + (0.005–0.1) M CH₃OH, and 0.5 M H₂SO₄ + (0.005–0.1) M CH₃OH + O₂ (saturated) on a Pt/Pt electrode. A considerable difference is found between the currents in mixed solutions and those expected based on the principle of additivity of currents in CH₃OH and O₂ individual solutions. The surface coverages with the CH₃OH and O₂ adsorption products are determined in the potential range of 0.2–0.9 V (RHE). Open-circuit potentials are measured in mixed solutions. The obtained results suggest that the direct heterogeneous interaction between methanol and oxygen occurs alongside with faradaic reactions. This is assumed to lead to a decrease in methanol electrooxidation currents at E ≥ 0.8 V and their increase at E ≤ 0.65 V.     

Adsorption and electrooxidation of dimethyl ether on platinized platinum electrode in sulfuric acid solution

Adsorption and oxidation of dimethyl ether (DME) on the Pt/Pt electrode from 0.5 M H₂SO₄ is studied by measuring transients of current and potential, charging curves, and curves of electrooxidation in the adsorbed layer and also by cyclic voltammetry and steady-state polarization measurements. The DME adsorption is accompanied by dehydrogenation and destruction of its molecules to form a chemisorbed adsorbate that mainly consists of C1 species (HCO_ads and/or CO_ads) with (under certain conditions) a small amount of species that desorb at cathodic polarization. The adsorption and electrooxidation of DME are inhibited by adsorbed oxygen. The possible schemes of DME oxidation, where the reaction of DME chemisorption products with adsorbed oxygen-containing species is the limiting stage, are discussed.