TiO(2) Nanotubes with Pt and Pd Nanoparticles as Catalysts for Electro-Oxidation of Formic Acid

In the present work, the magnetron sputtering technique was used to prepare new catalysts of formic acid electrooxidation based on TiO(2) nanotubes decorated with Pt (platinum), Pd (palladium) or Pd + Pt nanoparticles. TiO(2) nanotubes (TiO(2) NTs) with strictly defined geometry were produced by anodization of Ti foil and Ti mesh in a mixture of glycerol and water with ammonium fluoride electrolyte. The above mentioned catalytically active metal nanoparticles (NPs) were located mainly on the top of the TiO(2) NTs, forming ‘rings’ and agglomerates. A part of metal nanoparticles decorated also TiO(2) NTs walls, thus providing sufficient electronic conductivity for electron transportation between the metal nanoparticle rings and Ti current collector. The electrocatalytic activity of the TiO(2) NTs/Ti foil, decorated by Pt, Pd and/or Pd + Pt NPs was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and new Pd/TiO(2) NTs/Ti mesh catalyst was additionally tested in a direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC). The results so obtained were compared with commercial catalyst—Pd/Vulcan. CV tests have shown for carbon supported catalysts, that the activity of TiO(2) NTs decorated with Pd was considerably higher than that one decorated with Pt. Moreover, for TiO(2) NTs supported Pd catalyst specific activity (per mg of metal) was higher than that for well dispersed carbon supported commercial catalyst. The tests at DFAFC have revealed also that the maximum of specific power for 0.2 Pd/TiO(2) catalyst was 70% higher than that of the commercial one, Pd/Vulcan. Morphological features, and/or peculiarities, as well as surface composition of the resulting catalysts have been studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and chemical surface analytical methods (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy—XPS; Auger electron spectroscopy—AES).