Structural design and facile synthesis of a highly efficient catalyst for formic acid electrooxidation.

The pathway of formic acid electrooxidation strongly depends on the amount of three neighbouring Pt or Pd atoms in the surface of Pd- or Pt-based catalysts. Here, Pt decorated Pd/C nanoparticles (the optimal atomic ratio, Pd : Pt = 20 : 1) were designed and then synthesized through a facile galvanic replacement reaction where the amount of three neighbouring Pt or Pd atoms markedly decreased. As a result, discontinuous Pd and Pt atoms suppressed CO formation and exhibited unprecedented catalytic activity and stability toward formic acid electrooxidation while the cost was almost the same as that of Pd/C.