Tungsten Carbide Microspheres as a Noble‐Metal‐Economic Electrocatalyst for Methanol Oxidation

Abstract

Thrifty catalysis: Tungsten carbide microspheres with high surface area and CO chemisorption capacity were prepared by heating mixtures of a resorcinol–formaldehyde polymer and ammonium metatungstate. Platinum supported on these microspheres (see electron micrograph) shows higher activity than the commercial catalyst with 20 % Pt–Ru (1:1) on C for the electrooxidation of methanol.