Electrooxidation of methanol over a membrane-based electrode and effect of tungsten and molybdenum on the activity Original Research Article

A new type of electrode, in which porous ceramic membranes are used as substrate, has been prepared by electrodepositing the active components on a carbonized or Au sputtered membrane. The electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol on the electrodes was investigated. The membrane-based electrode showed very good activity, which was much better than a platinum-based electrode. Tungsten and molybdenum were very effective promoters; the activity of a tungsten-containing electrode was three times higher than that of an electrode without tungsten. However, ruthenium showed a negative effect on the activity of electrodes whilst tungsten was used as a promoter.