Silver Nanoparticles Supported on Ordered Mesoporous Carbon for Formaldehyde Electrooxidation

Metal nanocatalysts, as the anodic materials, have become increasingly important in fuel cells due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Here we report the ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) supported silver nanocatalysts have been prepared through the wet chemical reduction by using the reduction of formaldehyde. The electrochemical properties of the Ag/CMK-3 nanocatalysts for formaldehyde oxidation are studied by cyclic voltammograms (CV) and chronoamperometric curves (i-t) in alkaline aqueous solutions. The results show that the peak current density (from CV) of the Ag/CMK-3 electrode is 112 mA cm-2, above 2 times higher than that of Ag/XC-72 at the same Ag loading (14.15 μg cm-2). Furthermore, the i-t curves demonstrate that the Ag/CMK-3 nanocatalysts are efficient and stable electrocatalysts for anodic oxidation of formaldehyde in alkaline solutions. Our results indicate that the application potential of Ag/CMK-3 nanocatalysts with the improved electrocatalytic activity has far reaching effects on fuel cells and sensors.