Binary electrocatalysts for organic oxidations

The electro-oxidation of formaldehyde and methanol has been studied on a number of binary platinum electrocatalysts. These comprised mixed electro-deposits of Pt with Sb, As, Bi, Hg, Re, Te or Sn and a range of homogeneous Pt-Rh alloys of different, known, surface composition. These systems were found to exhibit an enhanced activity over that of platinum alone, and this behaviour was correlated with the ease of adsorption of oxygen on the added metal. The activities for organic oxidation were compared with predictions of a model involving reaction between adsorbed oxygen and organic species on the metal surface. The proposed mechanism accounts for the behaviour of both homogeneous and heterogeneous alloy systems.