Abstract
The present work describes the characteristics of Cu–Zr and Cu–Ti amorphous alloys as catalysts for oxidation of methanol and formaldehyde in alkaline solutions. Two Cu-based amorphous alloys, Cu60Zr40 and Cu60Ti40 both prepared by melt spinning were investigated. Two types of electrode were used: as-quenched amorphous alloys and surface-activated amorphous alloys. The surface-activation treatment consisted in the immersion of the ribbons in 1 M HF solution for 30 s. The determination of the oxidation activity of methanol and formaldehyde was carried out by galvanostatic and by steady-state polarization measurements and cyclic voltammetry experiments in 1 M NaOH solutions containing CH3OH or CH2O, deoxygenated by nitrogen bubbling for 30 min at 30 °C. The HF-treated amorphous alloys exhibit catalytic activity only for formaldehyde oxidation; Zr-based alloys show higher current densities than pure crystalline copper and Ti-based alloys.
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Brunelli, K., Dabalà, M. & Magrini, M. Cu-based amorphous alloy electrodes for fuel cells. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry 32, 145–148 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014733910695
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014733910695