Mesocellular Carbon Foam Research Articles

Study on morphology and N-doping effects of carbon cathodes for zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors

Aqueous zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSCs) are spotlighted as next-generation energy storage devices; however, the carbon cathodes usually dictate their performance. Herein, we aim to optimize the electrochemical performance of the carbon cathodes through particle morphology control along with porosity and surface-active site control. N-doped spherical mesocelluler carbon foam (S-MCF-N) is synthesized using a mesoporous silica template, and spherical mesocelluler carbon foam (S-MCF) and irregularly shaped mesocellular carbon foam (MSUF-C) are synthesized as control samples. Consequently, S-MCF-N shows the best ion storage capability with its large surface area, with active sites that cause redox reactions and high electrical conductivity. In particular, the spherical morphology of S-MCF-N achieves a higher tap density and can reduce the electrode thickness, which decreases the diffusion length for electrolyte migration and electrode resistance. Therefore, S-MCF-N as the cathode materials deliver a specific capacitance of 208 F g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 and superb cycling stability of up to 7000 cycles at 5 A g−1 without capacity decay. Furthermore, benefiting from the reduced electrode thickness, S-MCF-N has a 112 % higher volumetric energy density than MSUF-C while showing a 42 % higher gravimetric energy density.

Study on Morphology Control and N-Doping of Porous Carbon Cathode for Zinc-Ion Hybrid Supercapacitor

The growing use of renewable energy accelerates research on energy storage systems (ESSs) to accommodate the distributed nature of power sources and fluctuation in supply and demand. The commercially adopted system for ESSs is lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which are actively studied for recent years. However, the use of rare resources such as Li, Ni and Co, as well as volatile and flammable organic electrolytes, cause environmental problems and fire hazards. Therefore, new type of environmentally friendly and safe ESSs are needed to meet the future demand.In this regard, the aqueous zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSCs) are assumed as the remarkable candidate for ESSs. ZHSCs consist of battery-type Zn metal anode and capacitor-type carbon cathode with different ion storage mechanisms. Because they have unique design of electrodes, they can combine the advantages of existing batteries and supercapacitors such as high energy/power density and long cycle lifespans. In addition, the use of Zn metal has lots of benefits compare to Li-based electrodes, for example, Zn has low standard potential (-0.76 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode), high theoretical gravimetric/volumetric capacity (820 mAh g-1 and 5845 Ah/L) and relatively low cost.In ZHSCs, they store energy through an electric double-layer capacitive mechanism in which Zn2+ ions or anions are adsorbed on the surface of carbon cathode while Zn2+ ions are inserted/extracted in Zn metal anode, or a pseudo-capacitive mechanism generated by redox reaction with functional groups on the carbon surface. To achieve higher electrochemical performance of ZHSCs, previously reported research focused on modifying carbon cathode with highly porous structure or introducing heteroatoms. The porous carbon with abundant micropores (<2nm) and mesopores (2-50nm) can be used to provide high surface area for ions to adsorb/desorb and serve as channels for electrolytes and ions to diffuse rapidly. Besides, modifying surface of carbon cathode by doping heteroatoms (N, O, S, B, P) can improve wettability and conductivity of electrode and produce additional capacitance from redox reactions.However, although many researchers have studied to reform carbon cathode, they rarely study the effect of carbon’s morphology on its electrochemical performance. In the electrode level, irregularly shaped carbon could result in poor volumetric capacitance and high resistance properties caused by low mass loading and poor particle contact. The proposed morphology to solve these issues is spherical shape. As the spherical particles have no edges, they hardly damaged and have good powder fluidity between particles, leading to higher tap density or electrode density. They can also provide short diffusion path for ions to move compared to irregularly shaped particles, since the thin electrode can be made using the same amount of active material. This can enhance overall electrochemical performance of ZHSCs by lowering internal resistance and improving high rate capability of electrodes.In this respect, we suggest “spherical and uniform shape” carbon cathode along with the pore modification and heteroatom doping to compare the factors affecting electrochemical performance in ZHSCs. Thus, we prepared three different types of mesoporous carbons, which are spherical mesoporous carbon foam (S-MCF), N-doped spherical mesocellular carbon foam (S-MCF-N) and irregular shaped mesocellular carbon foam (MSUF-C). The improved electrode density of ZHSCs are achieved in spherically-controlled carbons (S-MCF and S-MCF-N) with 2.9 times higher tap density than irregularly shaped carbon (MSUF-C). Besides, the introduction of nitrogen to carbon (S-MCF-N) affords abundant active sites on the surface of carbon, increasing electrical conductivity and inducing additional pseudo-capacitance. Figure 1

FeOCl Nanoparticle-Embedded Mesocellular Carbon Foam as a Cathode Material with Improve d Electrochemical Performance for Chloride-Ion Batteries.

Chloride-ion batteries (CIBs) have been regarded as a promising alternative battery technology to lithium-ion batteries because of their abundant resources, high theoretical volumetric energy density, and high safety. However, the research on chloride-ion batteries is still in its infancy. Exploring appropriate cathode materials with desirable electrochemical performance is in high demand for CIBs. Herein, the FeOCl nanocrystal embedded in a mesocellular carbon foam (MCF) has been prepared and developed as a high-performance cathode material for CIBs. The MCF with uniform and large mesocells (15.7-31.2 nm) interconnected through uniform windows (15.2-21.5 nm) can provide high-speed pathways for electron and chloride-ion transport and accommodate the strain caused by the volume change of FeOCl during cycling. As a result, the optimized FeOCl@MCF cathode exhibits the highest discharge capacity of 235 mAh g-1 (94% of the theoretical capacity) among those of the previously reported metal (oxy)chloride cathodes for CIBs. A reversible capacity of 140 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles is retained. In contrast, only 18 mAh g-1 was kept for the FeOCl cathode.

Sol-gel processing of a covalent organic framework for the generation of hierarchically porous monolithic adsorbents

Sol-gel processing of a covalent organic framework for the generation of hierarchically porous monolithic adsorbents

Effect of Support for Non‐Noble NiMo Electrocatalyst in Alkaline Hydrogen Oxidation

AbstractThe development of high‐performance platinum group metal (PGM)‐free electrocatalysts for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) remains a great challenge. Here, a novel design strategy for improving the catalytic activity of PGM‐free catalysts by adopting N‐doped large‐porous carbon as a support material is reported. This paper shows the effect of support on the activity of non‐noble NiMo in HOR by comparing NiMo alloy on N‐doped mesocellular carbon foam (NiMo/N‐MSUF‐C) with NiMo/MSUF‐C and NiMo on N‐doped CMK‐3 (NiMo/N‐CMK‐3). The strong interaction between NiMo and N species in N‐MSUF‐C alters the electronic structure of NiMo toward optimal binding energies for H and OH. The large pores in N‐MSUF‐C facilitate the diffusion of OH− into the catalyst layer, thereby increasing the limiting current density, which is higher compared with that of NiMo/N‐CMK‐3. The AEMFC with NiMo/N‐MSUF‐C as the anode shows a higher peak power density of 152 mW cm−2 in H2/O2 compared with that of previously reported PGM‐free catalysts. These results can lead to efficient designing of highly effective AEMFCs for practical applications.

Bismuth chloride@mesocellular carbon foam nanocomposite cathode materials for rechargeable chloride ion batteries

Chloride ion batteries (CIB) are considered to be one of the most promising energy storage devices. As cathode materials for CIBs, metal chlorides have many advantages, such as high theoretical energy density, abundant elemental resources and ideal discharge voltage plateau. However, the dissolution and huge volume change of metal chlorides during cycling lead to considerable short lifespan, which limits their potential application for CIBs. Herein, the bismuth chloride nanocrystal is confined in mesocellular carbon foam matrix by a new vacuum impregnation approach. The mesocellular carbon foam with large interconnected pores (15.7 or 23.2 nm) may buffer the large volume variation of bismuth chloride during charge and discharge, giving rise to significantly enhanced electrochemical performance. The as-prepared bismuth chloride@mesocellular carbon foam cathode delivered an initial discharge capacity of 298 mAh/g and a reversible capacity of 91 mAh/g after 60 cycles. In contrast, the pure bismuth chloride cathode almost cannot discharge after 30 cycles. This is the first report that the metal chloride cathode can achieve a prolonged cycling in CIBs.

The synthesis of highly active Cu and N co-doped electrocatalysts via strong electrostatic adsorption method for oxygen reduction reaction

The development of non-precious metal catalysts to replace scarce and costly Pt-based catalysts is crucial for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which involves various electrochemical energy conversions, such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. However, it is still a challenge to devise a simpler method to obtain high-performance non-noble metal catalyst, which can be used for large-scale production. Herein, Cu and N co-doped mesocellular carbon foam (n-Cu/NC) has been developed by strong electrostatic adsorption (SEA) method, which inherits the original morphology of carbon foam, exhibiting high ORR performance with a half-wave potential of 0.825 V vs. RHE and excellent long-term durability. The outstanding performance of n-Cu/NC is attributed to the high specific surface area, hierarchical porous carbon matrix doped by multiple N atoms and uniform Cu2O/CuO active sites induced by the SEA method. The strategy of SEA method is applied to the preparation of carbon-supported catalysts, which shows great potential in the design and large-scale production of M and N co-doped carbon materials.

Sulfenic Acid Doped Mesocellular Carbon Foam as Powerful Catalyst for Activation of V(II)/V(III) Reaction in Vanadium Redox Flow Battery

Sulfur-based functional group doped mesoporous carbon (MC) catalysts are prepared to investigate their effects on V(II)/V(III) and V(IV)/V(V) redox reactions as well as on the performance of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). According to the electrochemical analysis, although all of the catalysts applied have a similar influence on the V(IV)/V(V) reaction, for the V(II)/V(III) reaction, the sulfenic acid-doped MC shows better catalytic activity with a faster electron transfer rate and narrower peak potential separation. Nyquist plots also support the superiority of the sulfenic acid-doped MC catalyst with a smaller charge transfer resistance. When the catalysts are loaded onto a negative electrode for measuring the performance of VRFB, the VRFB using sulfenic acid-doped MC catalyst shows 6∼10% higher voltage efficiency and 5∼12% higher energy efficiency than other VRFBs. The excellent catalytic activity of the catalyst for the V(II)/V(III) reaction and superior performance of VRFB are due to an increase in the –SOxH bond that acts as an active site for the reaction.

Enhanced performance of sulfur-infiltrated bimodal mesoporous carbon foam by chemical solution deposition as cathode materials for lithium sulfur batteries

The porous carbon matrix is widely recognized to be a promising sulfur reservoir to improve the cycle life by suppressing the polysulfide dissolution in lithium sulfur batteries (LSB). Herein, we synthesized mesocellular carbon foam (MSUF-C) with bimodal mesopore (4 and 30 nm) and large pore volume (1.72 cm2/g) using MSUF silica as a template and employed it as both the sulfur reservoir and the conductive agent in the sulfur cathode. Sulfur was uniformly infiltrated into MSUF-C pores by a chemical solution deposition method (MSUF-C/S CSD) and the amount of sulfur loading was achieved as high as 73% thanks to the large pore volume with the CSD approach. MSUF-C/S CSD showed a high capacity (889 mAh/g after 100 cycles at 0.2 C), an improved rate capability (879 mAh/g at 1C and 420 mAh/g at 2C), and a good capacity retention with a fade rate of 0.16% per cycle over 100 cycles.

MoO2nanocrystals interconnected on mesocellular carbon foam as a powerful catalyst for vanadium redox flow battery

MoO2nanocrystals on mesocellular carbon foam are used for a high performance vanadium redox flow battery. This improves the slow reaction of the VO2+/VO2+redox couple, inducing high efficiencies with high specific capacity.

Mesocellular Carbon Foam (MCF)/Sulfur Composites for High Performance Lithium Sulfur Batteries

In this study, we introduce a mesoporous carbon with large pore volume (1.72 cm3/g) and bimodal mesopore structure (4 nm and 30 nm). Mesocellular carbon foam (MCF) was first synthesized by employing mesocellular silica as a template. After that, MCF was improved hydrophobicity thorough acid treatment to form stronger bonding between carbon and sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate (sulfur precursor). MCF/S composite was prepared by solution chemical deposition method (Sol-method). By Sol-method, sulfur of 73 wt.% was loaded in mesopore channels. As a result, the composite exhibited enhanced cyclability and retained a stable capacity of 820 mAh/g after 50 cycles.

Effect of mesocelluar carbon foam electrode material on performance of vanadium redox flow battery

Languid reaction rate of VO2+/VO2+ redox couple is a problem to solve for improving performance of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). To facilitate the slow reaction materials including large pore sized mesocellular carbon foam (MSU-F-C and Pt/MSU-F-C) are used as new catalyst. Their catalytic activity and reaction reversibility are estimated and compared with other catalysts, while cycle tests of charge–discharge and polarization curve tests are implemented to evaluate energy efficiency (EE) and maximum power density (MPD). Their crystal structure, specific surface area and catalyst morphology are measured by XRD, BET and TEM. The new catalysts indicate high peak current ratio, small peak potential difference and high electron transfer rate constant, proving that their catalytic activity and reaction reversibility are superior. Regarding the charge–discharge and polarization curve tests, the VRFB single cells including new catalysts show high EE as well as low overpotential and internal resistance and high MPD. Such excellent results are due to mostly unique characteristics of MSU-F-C having large interconnected mesopores, high surface area and large contents of hydroxyl groups that serve as active sites for VO2+/VO2+ redox reaction and platinums (Pts) supporting the MSU-F-C. Indeed, employment of the catalysts including MSU-F-C leads to enhancement in performance of VRFB by facilitating the slow VO2+/VO2+ redox reaction.

One particle@one cell: Highly monodispersed PtPd bimetallic nanoparticles for enhanced oxygen reduction reaction

Highly monodispersed platinum-based nanoalloys are the best-known catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. Although certainly promising, the durability and stability are among the main requirements for commercializing fuel cell electrocatalysts in practical applications. Herein, we synthesize highly stable, durable and catalytic active monodispersed PtPd nanoparticles encapsulated in a unique one particle@one cell structure by adjusting the viscosity of solvents using mesocellular foam. PtPd nanoparticles in mesocellular carbon foam exhibit an excellent electrocatalytic activity (over 4 times mass and specific activities than the commercial Pt/C catalyst). Most importantly, this nanocatalyst shows no obvious change of structure and only a 29.5% loss in electrochemically active surface area after 5000 potential sweeps between 0.6 and 1.1V versus reversible hydrogen electrode cycles.

A Novel Three-Dimensional Large-Pore Mesoporous Carbon Matrix as a Potential Nanovehicle for the Fast Release of the Poorly Water-soluble Drug, Celecoxib

A novel mesocellular carbon foam (MSU-FC) with a large pore size and a three-dimensional porous structure for the oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs was prepared. The goal of this study was to improve in vitro dissolution and in vivo absorption of celecoxib (CEB), a model drug, by means of novel carbon-based nanoparticles prepared from the MSU-FC matrix. The MSU-FC matrix was synthesized by an inverse replica templating method using mesocellular silica template. A solvent immersion/evaporation method was used to load the drug molecules. The drug-loaded nanoparticles were characterized for morphology, surface area, particle size, mesoporous structure, crystallinity, solubility and dissolution. The effect of MSU-FC on cell viability was measured using the MTT conversion assay. Furthermore, the oral bioavailability of CEB-loaded MSU-FC in fasted rats was compared with that of the marketed product. Our results demonstrate that CEB incorporation into the prepared MSU-FC resulted in an approximately 9-fold increase in aqueous solubility in comparison with crystalline CEB. MSU-FC produced accelerated immediate release of CEB in comparison with crystalline CEB (pure CEB powder or marketed formulation) and the drug-loaded conventional mesoporous carbon particles. The relative bioavailability of CEB for CEB-loaded MSU-FC was 172%. In addition, MSU-FC nanoparticles exhibited very low toxicity. The MSU-FC nanomatrix has been shown to be a promising drug delivery vehicle for improving the dissolution and biopharmaceutical characteristics of poorly water-soluble drugs.

Nano-graphite functionalized mesocellular carbon foam with enhanced intra-penetrating electrical percolation networks for high performance electrochemical energy storage electrode materials

Mesocellular carbon foam (MSU-F-C) is functionalized with hollow nanographite by a simple solution-phase method to enhance the intrapenetrating electrical percolation network. The electrical conductivity of the resulting material, denoted as MSU-F-C-G, is increased by a factor of 20.5 compared with the pristine MSU-F-C. Hollow graphite nanoparticles are well-dispersed in mesocellular carbon foam, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the d spacing of the (002) planes is 0.343 nm, which is only slightly larger than that of pure graphite (0.335 nm), suggesting a random combination of graphitic and turbostratic stacking. After nanographitic functionalization, the BET surface area and total pore volume decreased from 928 m(2) g(-1) and 1.5 cm(3) g(-1) to 394 m(2) g(-1) and 0.7 cm(3) g(-1), respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis in air shows that the thermal stability of MSU-F-C-G is improved relative to that of MSU-F-C, and the one-step weight loss indicates that the nanographite is homogeneously functionalized on the MSU-F-C particles. When the resulting mesocellular carbon materials are used as electrode materials for an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC), the specific capacitances (C(sp)) of the MSU-F-C and MSU-F-C-G electrodes at 4 mV s(-1) are 109 F g(-1) and 93 F g(-1), respectively. The MSU-F-C-G electrode exhibited a very high area capacitance (C(area), 23.5 μF cm(-2)) compared with that of the MSU-F-C electrode (11.7 μF cm(-2)), which is attributed to the enhanced intraparticle conductivity by the nanographitic functionalization. MSU-F-C-G exhibited high capacity retention (52%) at a very high scan rate of 512 mV s(-1), while only a 23% capacity retention at 512 mV s(-1) was observed in the case of the MSU-F-C electrode. When applied as an anode in a lithium ion battery, a significant increase in the initial efficiency (44%), high reversible discharge capacity (580 mA h g(-1)) in the lower voltage region, and a higher rate capability were observed. The high rate capability of the MSU-F-C-G electrode as charge storage was due to the low resistance derived from the nanographitic functionalization.

An ordered nanocomposite of organic radicalpolymer and mesocellular carbon foam as cathode material in lithium ion batteries

An ordered nanocomposite of polyethylene glycol–organic radical polymer–mesocellular carbon foam (PEG–ORP–MCF) was prepared by incorporation of ORP into acidified MCF and following PEG coating. The prepared nanocomposite was employed as the cathode material in lithium ion batteries. The nanocomposite electrode exhibited an improvement of high-temperature cycling performance (70% capacity retention after 50 cycles at 50 °C) with a high capacity (111 mA h g−1), a good rate performance (67% under 20 C current rate) and a smaller polarization under ambient conditions. This improved cathode performance was ascribed to the protective effect of PEG polymer that prevented the ORP from being dissolved in the electrolyte and the high electrical percolation network by the MCF carbon framework.

Ultra-low-cost route to mesocellular siliceous foam from steel slag and mesocellular carbon foam as catalyst support in fuel cell

A large- and uniform-pore-sized mesocellular siliceous foam with a high surface area is successfully synthesized, using blast-furnace slag as an ultra-low-cost silica source, under neutral pH conditions. A high-purity silica source can be easily prepared from blast-furnace slag by extraction using an acid leaching process, followed by dissolution in NaOH solution. The mesocellular siliceous foam is synthesized by the interaction of these silicate precursors with P123 ((EO) 20(PO) 70(EO) 20) block copolymers in the presence of trimethylbenzene (TMB) used as a pore expander, followed by calcination at 550 °C in air. The resulting mesocellular siliceous foam denoted as MSU-F–SP has ∼30 nm sized large pores and high BET surface area of 554 m 2 g −1. The structure of MSU-F–SP is very similar to MSU-F silica synthesized from sodium silicate mixtures in the presence of P123 and TMB. Mesocellular carbon foam is easily synthesized through the direct carbonization of a tri-block copolymer in the as-synthesized mesostructured materials after acid-catalyzed polymerization using sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid is used as a dehydration catalyst and the amount of sulfuric acid is controlled to optimize the pore structure. The mesocellular carbon foam synthesized using 0.16 mL of sulfuric acid per gram of composite material has the most uniform pore structures. A mesocellular carbon foam with high surface area and large mesopores allows good dispersion of Pt nanoparticles, leading to a higher methanol electro-oxidation activity in fuel cells compared to that of Pt nanoparticles on Vulcan XC-72.

Highly Efficient and Durable Quantum Dot Sensitized ZnO Nanowire Solar Cell Using Noble-Metal-Free Counter Electrode

A highly efficient quantum dot sensitized solar cell has been fabricated using a CdSe/CdS cosensitized ZnO nanowire array as a photoelectrode (PE), ordered mesocellular carbon foam (MSU-F-C) as a counter electrode (CE), and a polysulfide electrolyte as a hole transporter. The nanowire structure provides efficient photoelectron collection and light harvesting, and CdSe/CdS cosensitization allows utilization of the whole visible wavelength region of the incident solar spectrum. The MSU-F-C used here provides an extremely high surface area and the ordered large size mesopores with an interconnected pore structure, which facilitate diffusion of redox relay in the electrolyte. As a result, it exhibits low charge transfer resistance (Rct) between the CE/electrolyte interface and thus presents highly efficient photovoltaic performance, compared to conventional noble-metal-based CEs. The cell with MSU-F-C CE yields the highest power conversion efficiency of 3.60%, with Voc, Jsc, and FF of 685 mV, 12.6 mA/cm2, and 0.42, respectively. Furthermore, it exhibits high durability in the polysulfide electrolyte with remarkable stability irrespective of the solvent used in the electrolyte solution.

Fe3O4 Nanoparticles Confined in Mesocellular Carbon Foam for High Performance Anode Materials for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

AbstractFe3O4 nanocrystals confined in mesocellular carbon foam (MSU‐F‐C) are synthesized by a “host–guest” approach and tested as an anode material for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). Briefly, an iron oxide precursor, Fe(NO3)3·9H2O, is impregnated in MSU‐F‐C having uniform cellular pores ∼30 nm in dia­meter, followed by heat‐treatment at 400 °C for 4 h under Ar. Magnetite Fe3O4 nanocrystals with sizes between 13–27 nm are then successfully fabricated inside the pores of the MSU‐F‐C, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dark‐field scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen sorption isotherms. The presence of the carbon most likely allows for reduction of some of the Fe3+ ions to Fe2+ ions via a carbothermoreduction process. A Fe3O4/MSU‐F‐C nanocomposite with 45 wt% Fe3O4 exhibited a first charge capacity of 1007 mA h g−1 (Li+ extraction) at 0.1 A g−1 (∼0.1 C rate) with 111% capacity retention at the 150th cycle, and retained 37% capacity at 7 A g−1 (∼7 C rate). Because the three dimensionally interconnected open pores are larger than the average nanosized Fe3O4 particles, the large volume expansion of Fe3O4 upon Li‐insertion is easily accommodated inside the pores, resulting in excellent electrochemical performance as a LIB anode. Furthermore, when an ultrathin Al2O3 layer (&lt;4 Å) was deposited on the composite anode using atomic layer deposition (ALD), the durability, rate capability and undesirable side reactions are significantly improved.

Well-dispersed Pd 3Pt 1 alloy nanoparticles in large pore sized mesocellular carbon foam for improved methanol-tolerant oxygen reduction reaction

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts, Pd 3Pt 1 nanoparticles with methanol tolerance, are supported on various carbon supports: mesocellular carbon foam (MSU-F-C), CMK-3, and Vulcan XC-72. The particle size of Pd 3Pt 1 (∼5 nm) is larger than the pore size of CMK-3 (∼3 nm), resulting in the agglomeration of Pd 3Pt 1 nanoparticles on the external surface of the CMK-3. The large surface area and large pore size of MSU-F-C allows a high degree of dispersion of Pd 3Pt 1 nanoparticles inside the pores. Due to its highly dispersed state, the Pd 3Pt 1/MSU-F-C shows higher ORR activity than Pd 3Pt 1/Vulcan XC-72 and Pd 3Pt 1/CMK-3. The charge transfer resistance ( R ct), as measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, increases in the order of Pd 3Pt 1/CMK-3 > Pd 3Pt 1/Vulcan XC-72 > Pd 3Pt 1/MSU-F-C. Pd 3Pt 1/MSU-F-C is methanol tolerant at 400 rpm in the presence of 0.5 M CH 3OH, while methanol oxidation peaks are observed in the case of Pd 3Pt 1/Vulcan XC-72 and Pd 3Pt 1/CMK-3.