Electrochemical promotion of catalytic reactions with Pt/C (or Pt/Ru/C)//PBI catalysts

The paper is an overview of the results of the investigation on electrochemical promotion of three catalytic reactions: methane oxidation with oxygen, NO reduction with hydrogen at 135 degrees C and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) at 170 degrees C in the [CH4/O-2(or NO/H-2 or CO/H-2)/Ar//Pt(or Pt/Ru)//PBI(H3PO4)/H-2, Ar] fuel cell.

It has been shown that the partial methane oxidation to C2H2 and the C-2 selectivity were electrochemically promoted by the negative catalyst polarization. This was also the case in NO reduction with hydrogen for low NO and H-2 partial pressures. In both cases the catalytic reactions have been promoted by the electrochemically produced hydrogen.

It has been found that the NO reduction with hydrogen on the Pt/PBI strongly depends on NO and hydrogen partial pressures in the working gas mixture. At higher NO and H-2 partial pressures the catalysis is promoted by the electrochemical pumping of H+ from the catalyst, i.e. at positive polarization.

FTS demonstrated the highest methane production rate (11% of CO conversion) at zero fuel cell voltage.