Single-atom Rh/N-doped carbon electrocatalyst for formic acid oxidation.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Developing efficient catalysts for formic acid oxidation is crucial for applications like fuel cells.
• Existing catalysts often suffer from low activity or CO poisoning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and evaluate atomically dispersed Rhodium on N-doped carbon (SA-Rh/CN) as a catalyst for formic acid oxidation.
• To investigate the enhanced mass activity and CO resistance of the novel catalyst.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of atomically dispersed Rhodium on N-doped carbon (SA-Rh/CN).
• Electrocatalytic testing for formic acid oxidation.
• Density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Main Results:

• SA-Rh/CN exhibits 28- and 67-fold higher mass activity than Pd/C and Pt/C, respectively.
• SA-Rh/CN demonstrates significantly enhanced tolerance to CO poisoning.
• The catalyst shows excellent stability with Rh atoms resisting sintering after prolonged use.
• DFT calculations indicate a favorable formate pathway and reduced CO binding on SA-Rh/CN.

Conclusions:

• Atomically dispersed Rh/N-doped carbon is a highly promising catalyst for formic acid oxidation.
• The catalyst's superior performance is attributed to its unique structure, leading to high activity and CO tolerance.
• This work paves the way for advanced electrocatalyst design for fuel cell applications.