Electro-Oxidation of Methane on Roughened Palladium Electrode in Acidic Electrolytes at Ambient Temperatures

The aim of this research is to investigate the electro-oxidation of methane on roughened Pd electrode (RP) in acidic media. The results showed that RP electrode has large surface-to-volume ratio, good reversibility, and facile electron transfer kinetics. Electro-oxidation of methane on RP electrode was studied by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. Higher electro-catalytic activity and shorter response time for methane oxidation were found on the RP electrode in acidic media at ambient temperatures than those found on the smooth Pd electrode. Differential pulse voltammetry was employed to study the response of RP electrode to various concentrations of methane. The increase in peak current was monitored and related to the methane concentration. The mechanisms for electro-oxidation of methane on RP electrode were also discussed.