Pt Alloys on Carbon Nanostructures as Electrocatalysts for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

Abstract:

Extensive efforts are focused on the development of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells, due to the intrinsic advantages of this type of devices for mobile power supply system. One of the major drawback of the DMFC resides in the easy poisoning of the anode electrocatalyst (platinum) by COlike reaction intermediates, which implies the need of high platinum load in order to obtain reasonable performances. The development of platinum alloys is considered one of the promising routes for overcoming this problem: the second metal in fact acts as inhibitor of the Pt poisoning. In this work we have combined the use of unconventional methods to deposit the electrocatalyst nanoparticles with unconventional carbon supports. PtAu alloys have been deposited by sputter deposition process on carbon nanofibers with platelet morphology grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition on carbon paper. Cyclic voltammetry in H2SO4 was used to determine the electrochemical active surface and the electrocatalytic performance for methanol oxidation reaction. Even at lower Pt load, respect to the ones prepared with commercial catalysts supported on carbon black, the innovative electrodes showed higher performance and stability.

• Periodical: Advances in Science and Technology (Volume 72)
• Pages: 277-282
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AST.72.277
• Online since: October 2010
• Authors: Leonardo Giorgi, Rossella Giorgi, Serena Gagliardi, Elena Salernitano, Theodoros Dikonimos, Nicola Lisi, M. Federica de Riccardis, Marco Alvisi
• Keywords: Carbon Nanofiber, Catalyst Alloy, Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), Electro-Deposition, Methanol Oxidation, Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)

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