Electrocatalysis by ad-atoms: Part IV. Enhancement of the oxidation of formic acid on Pt-Au(subs) and Au-Pt(subs) electrodes by bismuth ad-atoms

The roles of surface and bulk for electrocatalysis have been investigated. Bi ad-atoms enhance a platinum electrode to a great extent for HCOOH oxidation. In order to examine whether bulk platinum atoms are necessary for the electrocatalysis, monolayer or submonolayer amounts of platinum atoms were made to deposit on a gold electrode which is quite inactive for the oxidation. The deposition of a complete monolayer of platinum atoms on a gold electrode makes the electrode as active as a platinum electrode itself. Bi ad-atoms enhance this electrode to the same extent as they do a platinum electrode for the oxidation. Thus surface atoms, Pt and Bi atoms, having no bulk atoms on a quite inactive electrode work effectively for the electrocatalysis, the platinum atoms for the adsorption of the main reactant and the Bi atoms for blocking of the sites against the formation of poison. It is the adsorptive property of the surface that controls the electrocatalytic activity.