Electrochemical oxidation of methane at metal and oxide electrodes. Annual report, December 1, 1987-December 1, 1988

Technical Report · Wed Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6230281

Summers, D P; Pound, B G; Frese, K W

Electrochemical oxidation of methane at noble metal electrodes was investigated. Auger electron spectra showed no buildup of carbon on Rh electrodes after extended electroysis in 140C H/sub 3/PO/sub 4/. The surface oxidation of Rh in 140C H/sub 3/PO/sub 4/ was studied. The open-circuit potential decay method was applied to the reaction between surface oxygen species on Pt and Rh and CH/sub 4/, C/sub 2/H/sub 6/, and C/sub 3/H/sub 8/, and H/sub 2/. Methane was the least reactive hydrocarbon. The peak oxidation currents at 1 atm gas pressure were: 480 micro A cm/sq, 110 micro A cm/sq, 3.5 micro A cm/sq, for propane, ethane, and methane, respectively. Methane oxidation to CO/sub 2/ at Rh surfaces onsets at 0.3 V vs. SCE, is maximal at 0.7 to 0.8 V, and then declines at higher anodic potentials. The rising portion of the rate characteristic precedes detectible oxygen deposition, but the drop in oxidation is correlated with blocking of sites with adsorbed oxygen species.

• Research Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6230281
• Report Number(s): PB-89-178750/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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