Pt-Ru Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotubes as Methanol Fuel Cell Catalysts
Abstract
Bimetallic Pt-Ru alloy catalysts have been more effective than pure Pt catalysts in the electro-oxidation of methanol. a synthesis method for the Pt-Ru catalysts supported on sonochemically functionalized carbon nanotubes is described. the catalysts were prepared by directly reducing the corresponding salts, K2PtCl4 and K2RuCl5, in an ethylene glycol solution containing dispersed carbon nanotubes. Three catalysts with the same metal loading, 20 wt %, but different Pt to Ru atomic ratios, were prepared. Highly dispersed Pt-Ru bimetallic alloy nanoparticles were synthesized with average nanoparticle sizes of < 3 nm dia. the catalyst nanoparticles were uniform and covered only the outside of the carbon nanotubes. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the AIChE Annual Meeting (San Francisco, CA 11/12-17/2008).
