Formic Acid Oxidation Depending on Rotating Speed of Smooth Pt Disk Electrode

This work presents the variation of formic acid oxidation on Pt depending on hydrodynamic condition using a rotating disk electrode. As the rotating speed increases, the oxidation rate of formic acid decreases under voltammetric and chronoamperometric measurements. The coverages of poison formed from formic acid during the chronoamperomertric investigations decrease when the rotating speed increases. As the roughness factor of Pt electrode surface increases, on the other hand, the current density of formic acid oxidation increases. These observations are discussed in terms of the tangential flow along Pt electrode surfaces generated by the rotating disk electrode, which reduces a contact time between formic acid and a Pt site, thus the formic acid adsorption.