The electrochemical oxidation of organics using tungsten oxide based electrodes

High surface area tungsten oxide (WOx) based electrodes containing centers of Pt, Sn or Ru were synthesized. The WO, electrodes were found to display good capacitive behavior and relatively high specific capacitance values of up to 180 F g(-1). The oxidation behavior of particularly HCOOH and (COOH)(2), using the WOx electrodes containing Pt and Sn centers (Pt/WOx and Sn/ WOx, respectively), was studied in detail in aqueous solutions at high potentials, i.e. at which O-2 is evolved. Both HCOOH and (COOH)(2) appear to be oxidized following 1st order kinetics. The (COOH)(2) oxidation reaction is faster than the HCOOH reaction using otherwise the same experimental conditions. The reaction mechanism of both the HCOOH and (COOH)(2) oxidation was found to most likely involve the adsorptive interaction of the two organics with the anode surface. The WO, based anodes appear to be promising catalysts for the anodic oxidation of both (COOH)(2) and HCOOH. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.