Use of a Mixed Formaldehyde and Sodium Hypophosphite Reducing Agent Bath in the Electroless Synthesis of Cu-Ni-Mo- P Electro-catalyst Active for Glycerol Oxidation

A new electroless bath was formulated in which two reducing agents - NaH2PO2 and formaldehyde - acted synchronously for the synthesis of electroless Cu-Ni-Mo-P/graphite electro-catalyst. The bath was operated at a pH of 10.2 and temperature of 80oC. Baths containing only sodium hypophosphite or formaldehyde reducing agents but with the same amounts of other bath constituents were used as controls in the deposition process. The deposits were characterized using SEM, EDX and XRD. Preliminary investigations conducted on oxidations of formaldehyde and glycerol show that the catalyst is an effective electro-catalyst as prepared, and that variations in the metallic composition of the electro-catalyst affect its electro catalytic activity.