Abstract
Platinum (Pt) and platinum-ruthenium (PtRu) nanoparticles supported on Vulcan XC-72 carbon and single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) are prepared by a microwave-assisted polyol process. The catalysts are characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The PtRu nanoparticles, which are uniformly dispersed on carbon, have diameters of 2-6 nm. All the PtRu/C catalysts display the characteristic diffraction peaks of a face centred cubic Pt structure, excepting that the 2θ values are shifted to slightly higher values. The results from XPS analysis reveal that the catalysts contain mostly Pt(0) and Ru(0), with traces of Pt(II), Pt(IV) and Ru(IV). The electrooxidation of methanol is studied by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. Both PtRu/C catalysts have high and more durable electrocatalytic activities for methanol oxidation than a comparative Pt/C catalyst. Preliminary data from a single direct methanol fuel cell using the SWCNT supported PtRu alloy as the anode catalyst delivers high power density.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 272-280 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Power Sources |
| Volume | 167 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 15 2007 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Keywords
- Fuel cell
- Methanol electro-oxidation
- Platinum catalyst
- Platinum-ruthenium nanoparticle
- Power density
- Single-wall carbon nanotubes
