An Effective Pd-Ni2P/C Anode Catalyst for Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cells

The direct formic acid fuel cell is an emerging energy conversion device for which palladium is considered as the state‐of‐the‐art anode catalyst. In this communication, we show that the activity and stability of palladium for formic acid oxidation can be significantly enhanced using nickel phosphid...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2014-01, Vol.53 (1), p.122-126
Main Authors: Chang, Jinfa, Feng, Ligang, Liu, Changpeng, Xing, Wei, Hu, Xile
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acids
electrocatalysis
formic acid
Fuel cells
Iron
nickel
oxidation
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The direct formic acid fuel cell is an emerging energy conversion device for which palladium is considered as the state‐of‐the‐art anode catalyst. In this communication, we show that the activity and stability of palladium for formic acid oxidation can be significantly enhanced using nickel phosphide (Ni2P) nanoparticles as a cocatalyst. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals a strong electronic interaction between Ni2P and Pd. A direct formic acid fuel cell incorporating the best Pd–Ni2P anode catalyst exhibits a power density of 550 mW cm−2, which is 3.5 times of that of an analogous device using a commercial Pd anode catalyst. Giving Pd a boost: A novel Pd–Ni2P/C electrocatalyst has been developed for formic acid oxidation. A direct formic acid fuel cell integrating this catalyst showed superior power density and discharge stability than a state‐of‐the‐art commercial Pd/C catalyst.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.201308620