The role of the support in COads monolayer electrooxidation on Pt nanoparticles: Pt/WOxvs. Pt/C

Fabrice Micoud; Frédéric Maillard; Antoine Bonnefont; Nathalie Job; Marian Chatenet

doi:10.1039/B915244J

The role of the support in CO_ads monolayer electrooxidation on Ptnanoparticles: Pt/WO_xvs.Pt/C

Fabrice Micoud,^a Frédéric Maillard,^a Antoine Bonnefont,^b Nathalie Job^c and Marian Chatenet^a

^a Laboratoire d’Electrochimie et de Physico-chimie des Matériaux et des Interfaces (LEPMI), UMR 5631 CNRS/UJF/Grenoble-INP, 1130 rue de la piscine, BP 75, 38402 Saint Martin d’Hères Cedex, France
E-mail: frederic.maillard@lepmi.inpg.fr
Fax: +33 4768 26777
Tel: +33 4768 26588

^b Institut de Chimie, UMR 7177, CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, 4 rue Blaise Pascal, 67000 Strasbourg, France
E-mail: bonnefont@chimie.u-strasbg.fr
Fax: +33 3682 51431
Tel: +33 3682 51418

^c Université de Liège, Laboratoire de Génie Chimique (B6a), B-4000 Liège, Belgium
E-mail: Nathalie.Job@ulg.ac.be
Fax: +32 4366 3545
Tel: +32 4366 3537

Abstract

The electrocatalytic properties of home-made Pt nanoparticles supported onto WO_x were determined for the electrooxidation of a CO_ads monolayer and compared with that of a commercial Pt/C having the same Pt particle size. By combining electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques, we found that Pt/WO_x nanoparticles exhibit a very high tolerance to CO at low electrode potentials (E = 0.1 V vs. RHE), which was never reported in the literature before. CO adsorption at E = 0.1 V vs. RHE on Pt/WO_x yields CO₂ production as observed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). When the gas bubbling in solution changes from CO to Ar, the current attenuates and the CO₂ production vanishes. This points towards a limited number of “active sites” and a slow step in the electrocatalytic process. When H₂ is used to purge the electrolyte from CO, a steep and continuous increase of the H₂ electrooxidation current is observed pointing towards continuous liberation of the Pt catalytic sites. The high tolerance to CO of Pt/WO_x is discussed in terms of strong metal–support interaction (SMSI), which involves formation of a metal-oxide film partially covering the Pt nanoparticles (encapsulation) and creation of W–OH groups upon H⁺ insertion at low electrode potentials.

Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/B915244J

Article type

Paper

Submitted

28 Jul 2009

Accepted

12 Nov 2009

First published

10 Dec 2009

Download Citation

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010,12, 1182-1193

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The role of the support in CO_ads monolayer electrooxidation on Pt nanoparticles: Pt/WO_xvs. Pt/C

F. Micoud, F. Maillard, A. Bonnefont, N. Job and M. Chatenet, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 1182 DOI: 10.1039/B915244J

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