Electrooxidation of Formic Acid on Palladium Nanoparticles Supported on Ordered Mesoporous Carbon

Ordered mesoporous carbon(MPC) supported palladium catalysts were prepared by impregnation (MPC/Pd-1) and the method of using sulfur to embed noble metal [MPC/(S) Pd-2], respectively. The properties of the MPC/Pd were investigated by XRD, HRTEM, BET and electrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammetry and current-time curve show that MPG/Pd exhibits a very high catalytic activity for the oxidation of formic acid, which is 4.0(MPC/Pd-1) and 2.4 times[ MPC/(S)Pd-2] that of commercial Pd black. Pd nanparticles on MPG/Pd-1 are confined in the pores of MPC(5-6 nm), which increases the reaction interfaces of the three-phase boundary(catalyst-electrolyte-reactive), whereas Pd nanoparticles on MPC/(S)Pd-2 are loaded inside the small mesoporous of the pore wall(2-3 nm), which decreases utilization of the catalyst.