Pt-Ru supported on double-walled carbon nanotubes as high-performance anode catalysts for direct methanol fuel cells

Pt-Ru supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (single-walled nanotubes, double-walled nanotubes (DWNTs), and multi-walled nanotubes) catalysts are prepared by an ethylene glycol reduction method. Pt-Ru nanoparticles with a diameter of 2-3 nm and narrow particle size distributions are uniformly deposited onto the CNTs. A simple and fast filtration method followed by a hot-press film transfer is employed to prepare the anode catalyst layer on a Nafion membrane. The Pt-Ru/DWNTs catalyst shows the highest specific activity for methanol oxidation reaction in rotating disk electrode experiments and the highest performance as an anode catalyst in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) single cell tests. The DMFC single cell with Pt-Ru/DWNTs (50 wt %, 0.34 mg Pt-Ru/cm(2)) produces a 68% enhancement of power density, and at the same time, an 83% reduction of Pt-Ru electrode loading when compared to Pt-Ru/C (40 wt %, 2.0 mg Pt-Ru/cm(2)).     

Carbon Nanotubes Supported Pt-Ru-Ni as Methanol Electro-Oxidation Catalyst for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) supported Pt-Ru and Pt-Ru-Ni catalysts were prepared by chemical reduction of metal precursors with sodium borohydride at room temperature. The crystallographic properties and composition of the catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, and the catalytic activity and stability for methanol electro-oxidation were measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), linear sweep voltammetries (LSV), and chronoamperometry (CA). The results show that the catalysts exhibit face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. The particle size of Pt-Ru-Ni/CNTs catalyst is about 4.8 nm. The catalytic activity and stability of the Pt-Ru-Ni/CNTs catalyst are higher than those of Pt-Ru/CNTs catalyst.     

高分散PtRu/C催化剂的制备及对甲醇及吸附态CO的电催化氧化

采用化学还原浸渍法在两种不同条件下制备炭载PtRu催化剂,通过XRD和TEM技术对催化剂的晶体结构及微观形貌进行了分析,运用循环伏安法、线性扫描法来检测不同条件下制备的催化剂对甲醇及吸附态CO(COad)电催化氧化活性的影响.结果表明,不同条件下制备的催化剂Pt和Ru形成合金的程度不同,Pt-Ru合金原子的颗粒在载体炭上的粒径大小和分布不同,导致催化剂对甲醇及COad的电氧化催化活性不同.其中以甲醛为还原剂在乙二醇体系中制备的催化剂PtRu/C-2能形成较好的合金状态,粒径小,分布均匀,对甲醇及COad的氧化具有较高的电催化活性.     

Nanostructure and surface composition of Pt and Ru binary catalysts on polyaniline-functionalized carbon nanotubes

Pt-Ru binary catalysts were prepared on a polyaniline-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube (PANi/MWCNT). PANi/MWCNT composites were synthesized by the polymerization of aniline in the presence of a carbon nanotube suspension using FeSO(4) and (NH(4))(2)S(2)O(8) as the oxidants. The Pt-Ru/PANi/MWCNT catalysts were formed by the chemical reduction of H(2)PtCl(6) and RuCl(3) using NaBH(4) as the reducing agent. The binary component catalyst is sharply distributed, with particle sizes ranging from 2.0 to 4.0 nm, and the Pt and Ru distributions are homogeneous when supported on PANi/MWCNT. In comparison, the binary catalyst supported on bare MWCNT displayed a Pt-rich core and a Ru-rich shell nanostructure. The surface composition deduced from CO stripping potentials confirms that the Ru surface content (χ(Ru)) is approximately 50% for the Pt-Ru alloy on PANi/MWCNT, and the catalyst on bare MWCNT shows nearly 70% Ru on the surface. Pt-Ru binary catalysts supported on PANi/MWCNT have higher activity, a higher Pt utilization efficiency, and much better durability when compared to other catalyst supports on bare MWCNT or on Vulcan XC-72.     

碳载体的O3处理对直接甲醇燃料电池Pt-Ru/C催化剂性能的影响

为了提高直接甲醇燃料电池阳极催化剂的催化活性, 利用O₃处理的Vulcan XC-72碳黑为载体, 制备Pt-Ru/C催化剂, 并与未经处理的Vulcan XC-72为载体制备的Pt-Ru/C催化剂的性能进行比较. 采用XPS和BET测试了O₃处理后碳粉表面的含氧浓度和比表面积, 结果表明, 随处理时间延长, 碳表面含氧浓度先减少后增加, 比表面积减小; 而随着处理温度升高, 比表面积增加, 含氧浓度先减少后增加. XRD, TEM方法对催化剂的结构及形貌的表征结果表明: O₃处理的碳黑为载体制备的Pt-Ru/C催化剂粒径均匀、分散性好. 在0.5 mol/L CH₃OH和0.5 mol/L H₂SO₄溶液中, 利用粉末微电极测试了循环伏安和稳态极化曲线, 结果表明: O₃处理碳粉为载体的催化剂比未经处理的碳粉为载体的催化剂的活性高. 研究了O₃处理碳粉的时间和温度对催化剂性能的影响, 电化学测试表明: 140 ℃处理6 min的碳粉为载体制备的催化剂对甲醇的电催化氧化活性最佳.     

Sensitive and selective electrochemical detection of carbon monoxide in saline at a Pt-Ru/Nafion/MnO2-modified electrode

We fabricated a sensitive and selective electrochemical carbon monoxide (CO) sensor for physiological conditions based on the Pt-Ru system. At a bare Pt-Ru electrode, a linear amperometric response to CO concentration was obtained in the range of 0.9-9 μM. However, significant current response to model electroactive interferents for physiological conditions, uric acid (UA), ascorbic acid (AA) and hydrogen peroxide (HP), was also recorded at the Pt-Ru electrode. The response to UA and AA was highly suppressed by coating the Pt-Ru electrode surface with a Nafion layer, and the response to HP was almost completely eliminated by the additional coating with a MnO(2)/chitosan layer. Finally, at the Pt-Ru/Nafion/MnO(2) electrode, amperometric CO detection with a sensitivity of 173 nA cm(-2) μM(-1) was obtained in the concentration range of 0.9-9 μM with the UA, AA and HP signal being below 1.7% at the same concentration of CO.     

PEMFC催化剂的研究：自制抗CO中毒Pt-Ru/C电催化剂的性质

用胶体法制备了抗CO中毒PEMFC阳极Pt-Ru/C电催化剂（标记为THYT－2）,对 比研究了THYT－2与Johnson Matthey (JM)公司同类品牌Pt-Ru/C催化剂的电化学及 其它物理化学性能。结果表明,THYT－2电催化剂在甲醇燃料电池和CO／H_2（Φ_ (CO) = 1 * 10~(-4)）的氢氧燃料电池中的电催化行为与JM催化剂相当,但THYT－ 2在低浓度CO氢气燃料中的电池性能更好。两种催化剂的其它物理化学性质具有类 似性：XPS分析结果表明THYT－2和JM催化剂 中都有三种不同价态的Pt存在：即金 属态Pt(0)、氧化态Pt(II)和Pt(IV)。HRTEM测试结果表明两种催化剂的粒径处在2 ～3 mn左右,这可能是它们拥有良好电化学性能的主要原因之一。本文还对催化剂 中Pt与Ru组分的分布和相互作用进行了讨论,提出了改进Pt-Ru/C电催化剂的思路 。     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of ethylene glycol on Pt and Pt-Ru nanoparticles modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The synthesis and characterization of catalysts based on nanomaterials, supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) for ethylene glycol (EG) oxidation is investigated. Platinum (Pt) and platinum-ruthenium (Pt-Ru) nanoparticles are deposited on surface-oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes [Pt/CNT; Pt-Ru/CNT] by the aqueous solution reduction of the corresponding metal salts with glycerol. The electrocatalytic properties of the modified electrodes for oxidation of ethylene glycol in acidic solution have been studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV), and excellent activity is observed. This may be attributed to the small particle size of the metal nanoparticles, the efficacy of carbon nanotubes acting as good catalyst support and uniform dispersion of nanoparticles on CNT surfaces. The nature of the resulting nanoparticles decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis. The cyclic voltammetry response indicates that Pt-Ru/CNT catalyst displays a higher performance than Pt/CNT, which may be due to the efficiency of the nature of Ru species in Pt-Ru systems. The fabricated Pt and Pt-Ru nanoparticles decorated CNT electrodes shows better catalytic performance towards ethylene glycol oxidation than the corresponding nanoparticles decorated carbon electrodes, demonstrating that it is more promising for use in fuel cells.     

Sonochemical oxidation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Functionalization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is important for enhancing deposition of metal nanoparticles in the fabrication of supported catalysts. A facile approach for oxidizing CNTs is presented using a sonochemical method to promote the density of surface functional groups. This was successfully employed in a previous study [J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 19255] to prepare highly dispersed, high-loading Pt nanoparticles on CNTs as fuel cell catalysts. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and settling speeds were used to characterize the degree of surface functionalization and coverage. The sonochemical method effectively functionalized the CNTs. A mixture of -C-O-/-C=O and -COO- was observed along with evidence for weakly bound CO at longer treatment times. The integrated XPS C 1s core level peak area ratios of the oxidized-to-graphitic C oxidation states, as well as the atom % oxygen from the O 1s level, showed an increase in peak intensity (attributed to -CO(x)()) with increased sonication times from 1 to 8 h; the increase in C surface oxidation correlated well with the measured atom %. Most of the CNT surface oxidation occurred between 1 and 2 h. The sonochemically treated CNTs were also studied by cyclic voltammetry and settling experiments, and the results were consistent with the XPS observations.     

Catalytic properties of Cu-Co catalysts supported on HNO3-pretreated CNTs for higher-alcohol synthesis

HNO 3 -pretreated CNTs were employed as supports, and a special ultrasound-assisted impregnation method was designed to prepare supported Cu-Co catalysts for higher-alcohol synthesis from syngas. The catalysts used in this work were characterized by N 2 adsorption-desorption, TEM, XRD, H 2 -TPR, CO-TPD techniques. It was found that the pre-treatment procedure of CNTs remarkably promoted the catalytic properties of the Cu-Co/CNTs catalysts. For the Cu-Co catalyst supported on CNTs pre-treated by 68 wt% HNO 3 , some active components were introduced into the CNTs channels, their dispersions and the amount of strongly adsorbed CO-species were improved. The CO conversion and alcohol yield on the HNO 3 -pretreated Cu-Co/CNTs catalyst were increased by ～21% and ～69%, respectively, compared with those on the normal Cu-Co/CNTs catalyst.     

Ethanol electro-oxidation on catalysts with TiO2 coated carbon nanotubes as support

Pt–TiO₂/CNTs electrocatalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) were prepared by sol–gel and ethylene glycol reduction method. XRD and TEM showed that the size of the Pt particles on TiO₂/CNTs is 3.5–4 nm and with narrow particle size distribution. HRTEM revealed that a thin layer of uniform amorphous TiO₂ on CNTs was formed and the faces of the Pt crystal on Pt–TiO₂/CNTs catalysts were quite “rough” and “rounded” and some grain bounders and/or twins also appeared. The electrochemical studies using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry and CO stripping voltammetry indicate that Pt–TiO₂/CNTs catalysts have higher electro-catalytic activity and CO-tolerance for ethanol oxidation than Pt/C (20 wt% Pt, E-TEK) and Pt/CNTs catalyst in acid. The Pt/TiO₂ molar ratio was also optimized and proved that 1:1 was the best Pt/TiO₂ molar ratio.     

Characterization of Pt-Ru/C catalysts by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and temperature-programmed surface reaction

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was employed to characterize carbon black supported Pt-Ru catalysts, which are commercially available to be utilized as the anode of polymeric-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells. Both Pt and Ru were found partially oxidized in the as-received form. Upon exposure to hydrogen at room temperature, the catalysts were completely reduced to the metallic state. The bimetallic nanoparticles on the Pt-Ru/C catalysts possess an inner core enriched in Pt, which is surrounded by a Ru-rich outer shell. Such a core–shell structure retained even at an elevated reduction temperature of 623 K. Temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR) was carried out to explore the reactivity of adsorbed CO toward hydrogen on various catalysts. Both the peak temperature of the TPSR profile and the amount of methane generated during the course of TPSR were sensitive to the surface composition of Pt–Ru nanoparticles. In combination of XAS and TPSR results, a slight difference in the nanostructure between two Pt-Ru/C catalysts was manifested.     

Pt3Ru6 clusters supported on gamma-Al2O3: synthesis from Pt3Ru6(CO)21(mu3-H)(mu-H)3, structural characterization, and catalysis of ethylene hydrogenation and n-butane hydrogenolysis

The supported clusters Pt-Ru/gamma-Al2O3 were prepared by adsorption of the bimetallic precursor Pt3Ru6(CO)21(mu3-H)(mu-H)3 from CH2Cl2 solution onto gamma-Al2O3 followed by decarbonylation in He at 300 degrees C. The resultant supported clusters were characterized by infrared (IR) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies and as catalysts for ethylene hydrogenation and n-butane hydrogenolysis. After adsorption, the nu(CO) peaks characterizing the precursor shifted to lower wavenumbers, and some of the hydroxyl bands of the support disappeared or changed, indicating that the CO ligands of the precursor interacted with support hydroxyl groups. The EXAFS results show that the metal core of the precursor remained essentially unchanged upon adsorption, but there were distortions of the metal core indicated by changes in the metal-metal distances. After decarbonylation of the supported clusters, the EXAFS data indicated that Pt and Ru atoms interacted with support oxygen atoms and that about half of the Pt-Ru bonds were maintained, with the composition of the metal frame remaining almost unchanged. The decarbonylated supported bimetallic clusters reported here are the first having essentially the same metal core composition as that of a precursor metal carbonyl, and they appear to be the best-defined supported bimetallic clusters. The material was found to be an active catalyst for ethylene hydrogenation and n-butane hydrogenolysis under conditions mild enough to prevent substantial cluster disruption.     

氮掺杂还原氧化石墨烯负载铂催化剂的制备及甲醇电氧化性能

采用高温热解聚苯胺修饰的氧化石墨烯(PANI-GO),得到了氮掺杂的还原氧化石墨烯碳材料(N-RGO),以其负载Pt制备了Pt/N-RGO纳米结构电催化剂.采用透射电镜(TEM)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、X射线衍射(XRD)谱及拉曼光谱等技术对N-RGO和Pt/N-RGO的形貌及结构进行了表征,用循环伏安、计时电流等电化学技术研究了Pt/N-RGO电极催化剂对CO溶出反应和甲醇电氧化反应的催化性能.结果表明:高温热解PANIGO可同时实现GO的还原及其氮掺杂的过程,氮掺杂引起还原氧化石墨烯碳材料表面缺陷结构和导电性的增加;与相应的未掺杂氮样品Pt/RGO相比较,Pt/N-RGO样品上Pt颗粒的分散更均匀,显示出更强的抗CO毒化能力和更高的甲醇电氧化催化活性及稳定性.     

氮掺杂还原氧化石墨烯负载铂催化剂的制备及甲醇电氧化性能

采用高温热解聚苯胺修饰的氧化石墨烯（PANI-GO）,得到了氮掺杂的还原氧化石墨烯碳材料（N-RGO）,以其负载Pt 制备了Pt/N-RGO纳米结构电催化剂. 采用透射电镜（TEM）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、X 射线衍射（XRD）谱及拉曼光谱等技术对N-RGO和Pt/N-RGO的形貌及结构进行了表征,用循环伏安、计时电流等电化学技术研究了Pt/N-RGO电极催化剂对CO溶出反应和甲醇电氧化反应的催化性能. 结果表明：高温热解PANIGO可同时实现GO的还原及其氮掺杂的过程,氮掺杂引起还原氧化石墨烯碳材料表面缺陷结构和导电性的增加;与相应的未掺杂氮样品Pt/RGO相比较,Pt/N-RGO样品上Pt 颗粒的分散更均匀,显示出更强的抗CO毒化能力和更高的甲醇电氧化催化活性及稳定性.     

Promotion of Mn Doped Co/CNTs Catalysts for CO Hydrogenation to Light Olefins

With various contents, Mn was introduced into carbon nanotubes (CNTs) supported cobalt catalysts and the obtained Mn‐Co/CNTs catalysts were investigated for CO hydrogenation to light alkenes and characterized by N₂ adsorption, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), H₂ temperature programmed reduction (TPR), CO temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results indicate that the addition of a small amount of Mn (0.3 wt%) to CNTs‐supported Co catalyst significantly increased the selectivity of C₂–C₄ olefins and decreased the selectivity of CH₄. However, with further addition of Mn to the cobalt catalysts, the CH₄ selectivity decreased obviously along with the increase of the C₅₊ selectivity. Compared with the unpromoted catalysts, the Mn‐promoted cobalt catalysts increased the C₂^?–C₄^?/C₂⁰–C₄⁰ molar ratio.     

Novel method for the synthesis of hydrophobic Pt-Ru nanoparticles and its application to preparing a Nafion-free anode for the direct methanol fuel cell

Pt-Ru alloy is a bimetallic catalyst most commonly used in the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). In this paper, a new process to synthesize an unsupported Pt-Ru colloid has been introduced. The characteristics of synthesized nanoparticles were identified by XRD, TEM/EDX, and SEM, and it shows that Ru atoms are incorporated into the Pt fcc structure and the well-dispersed particles (diameter approximately 4 nm) possess a Pt-rich feature. This catalyst shows a hydrophobic characteristic which can adsorb very well on the hydrophobic-treated carbon paper or carbon cloth without the need of Nafion. Accordingly, this method can avoid particle agglomeration, and the synthesized catalyst demonstrates strong adsorption with carbon paper. In addition, this colloid-type Nafion-free catalyst was measured via linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and exhibited electrochemical activity for methanol oxidation comparable to the commercial one with Nafion binding.     

Platinum catalysts prepared with functional carbon nanotube defects and its improved catalytic performance for methanol oxidation

Carbon nanotube (CNT) supported Pt nanoparticle catalysts have been prepared by spontaneous reduction of PtCl6(2-) ion as a result of direct redox reactions between PtCl6(2-) and oxygen-containing functional groups at defect sites of CNTs, which were introduced by chemical and electrochemical oxidation treatment of CNTs. The electrocatalytic properties of as-prepared Pt-CNT catalysts for methanol oxidation were investigated by chronopotentiometry and cyclic voltammetry. Compared with Pt catalysts prepared by hydrogen reduction and electrochemical deposition methods, Pt catalysts synthesized by functional CNT defects show excellent antipoisoning ability and long-term cycle stability.     

Enhancement of bimetallic Fe-Mn/CNTs nano catalyst activity and product selectivity using microemulsion technique

Bimetallic Fe-Mn nano catalysts supported on carbon nanotubes(CNTs) were prepared using microemulsion technique with water-to-surfactant ratios of 0.4-1.6. The nano catalysts were extensively characterized by different methods and their activity and selectivity in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis(FTS) have been assessed in a fixed-bed microreactor. The physicochemical properties and performance of the nanocatalysts were compared with the catalyst prepared by impregnation method. Very narrow particle size distribution has been produced by the microemulsion technique at relatively high loading of active metal. TEM images showed that small metal nano particles in the range of 3–7 nm were not only confined inside the CNTs but also located on the outer surface of the CNTs. Using microemulsion technique with water to surfactant ratio of0.4 decreased the average iron particle sizes to 5.1 nm. The reduction percentage and dispersion percentage were almost doubled. Activity and selectivity were found to be dependent on the catalyst preparation method and average iron particle size. CO conversion and FTS rate increased from 49.1% to 71.0% and 0.144 to 0.289 gHC/(gcat h), respectively. While the WGS rate decreased from 0.097 to 0.056 gCO2/(gcat h). C5+liquid hydrocarbons selectivity decreased slightly and olefins selectivity almost doubled.     

碱性介质中W,Ni和Sn掺杂的Pt-Ru/C电催化氧化甲醇的性能

直接以Pt, Ru, W, Ni和Sn的金属盐为前驱体, 通过溶胶法制备了不同原子比的Pt-Ru-M/C(M=W, Ni, Sn)碳载纳米合金催化剂, 用X射线衍射(XRD)和X光电子能谱(XPS)表征催化剂的晶相结构、表面组成及价态形式, 采用循环伏安法测试催化剂电催化氧化甲醇活性. 结果表明, 掺杂Ni和W可明显提高Pt-Ru/C催化活性, 掺杂Sn则降低了Pt-Ru/C催化活性. 其中Pt5-Ru4-Ni0.7/C的活性最高, 在1.0 mol/L NaOH＋1.0 mol/L CH3OH溶液中峰电流达835.2 mA/mg, 甲醇起始氧化电位比Pt5-Ru5/C低约0.11 V.