PtAu Thin Film as Anode Electrocatalyst in Methanol Fuel Cell.

Authors :: Hoseini, S. Jafar
Bahrami, Mehrangiz
Askarisarvestani, Golandam
Nabavizadeh, S. Masoud
Shahsavari, Hamid R.
De Giglio, Elvira
Mastrorilli, Piero
Source :: Journal of Cluster Science; Aug2024, Vol. 35 Issue 6, p1731-1742, 12p
Publication Year :: 2024
Abstract: Expanding the application of methanol fuel cells in the energy economy is only feasible when a low-cost or highly CO-tolerant electrocatalyst replaces Pt catalysts to enhance the electrocatalytic properties of Pt. In this study, a PtAu thin film was produced at the liquid-liquid interface through the simple reduction of [Pt(cod)Cl<subscript>2</subscript>] and [Au(PPh<subscript>3</subscript>)Cl] complexes. The resulting thin film was directly transferred onto a glassy carbon electrode (without the application of Nafion™) and used as an electrocatalyst in the methanol oxidation reaction. Experimental and theoretical results both confirmed that PtAu exhibits lower CO poisoning compared to PtPd or Pt films. The high j<subscript>f</subscript>/j<subscript>b</subscript> ratio (where j<subscript>f</subscript> is the maximum current of the anodic peak in the forward route and j<subscript>b</subscript> is the maximum of peak current in the backward route), and theoretically calculated adsorption energies for PtAu thin film showed higher CO tolerance compared to Pt or PtPd thin film electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]