title: Small Addition of Boron in Palladium Catalyst, Big Improvement in Fuel Cell's Performance: What May Interfacial Spectroelectrochemistry Tell?
abstract: Direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC) with Pd-based catalyst anode is a promising energy converter to power portable devices. However, its commercialization is entangled with insufficient activity and poor stability of existing anode catalysts. Here we initially report that a DFAFC using facilely synthesized Pd-B/C with ca. 6 at. % B doping as the anode catalyst yields a maximum output power density of 316 mW cm(-2) at 30 °C, twice that with a same DFAFC using otherwise the state-of-the-art Pd/C. More strikingly, at a constant voltage of 0.3 V, the output power of the former cell is ca. 9 times as high as that of the latter after 4.5 h of continuous operation. In situ attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy is applied to probe comparatively the interfacial behaviors at Pd-B/C and Pd/C in conditions mimicking those for the DFAFC anode operation, revealing that the significantly improved cell performance correlates well with a substantially lowered CO accumulation at B-doped Pd surfaces.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Chemistry, Fudan University , Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Laboratory of Advanced Power Sources, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Changchun 130022, China.
authors.forename: Jinfa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Chemistry, Fudan University , Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, Ulm University , Ulm D-89069, Germany.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brimaud
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Jilin Province Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Chemical Power Sources, Laboratory of Advanced Power Sources, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Changchun 130022, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Institute of Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, Ulm University , Ulm D-89069, Germany.
authors.forename: R Jürgen
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Behm
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Chemistry, Fudan University , Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Cai
keywords: attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy; boron-doped palladium; direct formic acid fuel cell; electrocatalysis; interfacial chemistry