Abstract
PtRu catalyst is a promising anodic catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) but the slow reaction kinetics reduce the performance of DMFCs. Therefore, this study attempts to improve the performance of PtRu catalysts by adding nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe). Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are used to increase the active area of the catalyst and to improve the catalyst performance. Electrochemical analysis techniques, such as energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), are used to characterize the kinetic parameters of the hybrid catalyst. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) is used to investigate the effects of adding Fe and Ni to the catalyst on the reaction kinetics. Additionally, chronoamperometry (CA) tests were conducted to study the long-term performance of the catalyst for catalyzing the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The binding energies of the reactants and products are compared to determine the kinetics and potential surface energy for methanol oxidation. The FESEM analysis results indicate that well-dispersed nanoscale (2–5 nm) PtRu particles are formed on the MWCNTs. Finally, PtRuFeNi/MWCNT improves the reaction kinetics of anode catalysts for DMFCs and obtains a mass current of 31 A g−1 catalyst.
Highlights
Most fuel cell catalytic electrodes, including direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) anodes, are made of either platinum or platinum-based materials [1]
Considering the great performance of Fe and Ni compared to other metals from previous studies, this study proposed a novel catalyst adopting Fe and Ni incorporated with PtRu using Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as a catalyst support
The formation of –OH bonds on the MWCNTs was confirmed by FT-IR analysis of surface functional groups
Summary
Most fuel cell catalytic electrodes, including DMFC anodes, are made of either platinum or platinum-based materials [1]. PtRu-metal groups have been considered as potential anode catalysts for DMFCs, including rhodium (Rh), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), and cobalt (Co). Wang et al [26] demonstrated via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) that the performance of the PtRuNi/C catalyst for methanol electrooxidation was much better than that of the PtRu/C catalyst This result was supported by Wang et al [27], Ribeiro et al [16], and Liu et al [25] through their experimental studies on PtRu/C, in which they obtained mass activities of 3.7, 5.1, and 9.0 A g−1 catalyst, respectively. Jiang et al [28] demonstrated that a carbon-supported PtNi/C electrocatalyst showed enhanced mass activity for the methanol oxidation reaction compared to a Pt/C catalyst. This study determined and compared the mass activity and the specific activity of the proposed novel catalyst with other types of catalysts
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
