Voltammetric Study of Activity of Catalyst Re-Cu-O (Re=La, Nd)

The voltammetric behavior of LaCuO₃ and NdCuO₃ catalyst in 1M KOH^* aqueous solution has been investigated. The working electrode is a thin layer of catalyst powder inserted onto the surface of soft conductive plastic sheet made from PVC+carbon black. Experimental results indicate clearly that the reduction potential of Cu(Ⅱ)-Cu(Ⅰ) is apparently related to the catalystic activities. After participation in\mathrmCO+\frac12 \mathrmO_2=\mathrmCO_2process LaCuO₃ maintains its original spinel form, but the spinel form of NdCuO₃ is decomposed into Cu₂O, CuO and Nd₂O₃ phases. In fact, the stability and activity of NdCuO₃ are also lower than LaCuO₃. These results confirm that the voltammetric method is a brief and effective method to study this form of catalyst.