Web Release Date: January 1,
Fabrication and Characterization of Well-Dispersed and Highly Stable PtRu Nanoparticles on Carbon Mesoporous Material for Applications in Direct Methanol Fuel Cell
Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan, and Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, and Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Received September 27, 2007
Revised Manuscript Received November 20, 2007
Abstract:
Well-dispersed, highly stable PtRu nanoparticles of ca. 2–3 nm on carbon mesoporous materials (PtRu-CMMs) were synthesized directly using SBA-15 mesoporous silica as the template, furfuryl alcohol and trimethylbenzene as the primary carbon source, and platinum and ruthenium acetylacetonates as the cofeeding metal and carbon precursors. Results obtained from X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy show that the Pt metal in the PtRu-CMMs was present in the form of a face-centered cubic (fcc) crystalline structure and the alloyed PtRu nanoparticles were composed mainly of Ru oxides, Ru(0), and Pt(0) metals. Further studies by X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirmed that a highly alloyed state of the PtRu nanoparticles is responsible for the superior electrocatalytic performance observed for the PtRu-CMMs, as compared to typical commercial electrocatalysts. The Pt50Ru50-CMM sample was found to possess the best electrocatalytic performance and long-term durability and should appeal to direct methanol fuel cell applications as anodic electrodecatalyst.
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