The most widely used electro-catalyst material in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFCs) are Pt-Ru bimetallic electro-catalysts, which show the best performance among other bimetallic catalysts. Many methods exist to prepare catalysts with bimetallic surfaces, and the properties and performance of these catalysts vary widely. Previous studies have shown that combining strong electrostatic adsorption (SEA) and electroless deposition (ED) methods can increase the surface area of the Pt particles by lowering the particle sizes of the bimetallic particles [1]; however, decreasing particle sizes can result in other problems such as thermal stability. Therefore, new routes for development of highly active and stable catalyst supports have become important to study. Among the different forms of carbon support, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are especially known for their crystallinity which not only imparts structural uniformity and high electrical conductivity, but also assures stability of the nanomaterials deposited on the support. In addition, they fulfill the properties of high surface area, high thermal conductivities, extraordinary strength, and resilience to an acidic environment, all of which can prove highly important for improving the performance of a fuel cell catalyst.

In this work we have investigated the effect of CNTs support for the methanol electro-oxidation reaction. The combination of SEA and ED methods have been used for deposition of Pt-Ru bimetallic catalysts on CNTs and to predict the effect of support on DMFC performance. The materials synthesized will be characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy for crystal structure and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) will be employed to examine elemental analysis and distribution. To observe surface morphology HRTEM images will be used, and BET surface areas and pore volume measurements will be carried out to evaluate porosity and pore size distributions.

References

1. Tengco, J.M.M., et al., Synthesis and Electrochemical Evaluation of Carbon Supported Pt-Co Bimetallic Catalysts Prepared by Electroless Deposition and Modified Charge Enhanced Dry Impregnation. Catalysts, 2016. 6(6).