Precursor effects in PtRu electrocatalysts as a direct methanol fuel cell anode

Abstract

Supported PtRu electrocatalysts on carbon black were prepared using three different combinations of Pt and Ru complexes in order to investigate the precursor effects on the methanol oxidation activities at room temperature. The CO adsorbed on the electrode surface was oxidized at an extremely lower potential using the catalysts prepared from (1,5-cyclooctadiene) dimethylplatinum (II) (Pt(C8H12)(CH3)2) and RuNO(NO3)x or Pt(NH3)2(NO2)2 and RuNO(NO3)x than that from H2PtCl6 and RuCl3. The catalyst obtained from the combination of Pt(C8H12)(CH3)2 and RuNO(NO3)x showed higher current densities for the methanol oxidation for all metal loadings than the other catalysts.