β Scribed by Amanda Dickinson; David James; Neil Perkins; Tim Cassidy; Michael Bowker
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
The anaerobic photocatalytic decomposition of methanol in aqueous solution has been investigated using a PdrTiO 2 catalyst. The rate is near zero order in methanol over most of the range of reaction, but has a complicated dependence on the loading of Pd on the photoactive support. This dependence is explained by assigning the active site for the rate determining step to be at the interface between the Pd and the TiO . In the absence of light, the methanol does not decompose at steady 2 state on the catalyst, probably due to poisoning of the Pd surface with adsorbed CO. Light of greater energy than the TiO 2 Ε½ . band gap ; 3.2 eV causes photoexcitation of electrons into the conduction band; this produces an oxidant which reacts with adsorbed CO to produce CO and hence maintains a steady state rate of methanol decomposition. The overall oxidant is 2 water. A detailed model for the reaction is proposed.
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## This apparatus for converting This improved PEM fuel cell uses an hydrocarbon fuel into hydrogen