Pt−Cd and Pt−Hg Phases As High Activity Catalysts for Methanol and Formic Acid Oxidation

We report the synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical activity of Pt−Cd and Pt−Hg alloy and intermetallic phases for formic acid and methanol oxidation. Along with addressing the long felt need for higher activity catalysts for methanol oxidation, this work also demonstrates a complete step-by-step methodology for identifying potential catalyst phases and optimization of their synthesis as nanoparticles with high activity. Further optimization of the synthesis (giving cleaner/smaller domain size material) holds excellent potential for obtaining very high activity and lower cost catalysts.