Different promoting roles of ruthenium for the oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols on PtRu electrocatalysts

This study shows remarkably different features between the oxidation of secondary and primary C3-C5 alcohols. The oxidation of primary alcohols is controlled by the oxidative removal of blocking adsorbates, such as CO, formed after the dissociative adsorption of alcohol molecules. Conversely, secondary alcohols do not undergo dissociative adsorption and therefore their oxidation is purely controlled by the energetics of the elementary reaction...