Activation of (W,Mo)C Methanol Anodic Oxidation Catalysts Using Alkaline Solution

Abstract

Heating (W,Mo)C powder catalyst in an alkaline solution is found to be effective for activating the substrate towards catalysis of methanol anodic oxidation. It is also found that partial oxidation of (W,Mo)C by boiling it in water with oxygen prior to the alkaline activation is even more effective. These effects depend on the initial oxidation state of the (W,Mo)C. The catalytic activity of (W,Mo)C containing a little phase is most enhanced, about twenty times as much as for the original (W,Mo)C. With the aid of compositional analysis, x‐ray diffraction, x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy, it is concluded that the activation is caused by the removal of surface free carbon and the oxidation and dissolution in the alkaline solution of inactive surface oxides bonded to the (W,Mo)C.