Methanol electro-oxidation on well-characterized Pt-Ru alloys temperature effects

Abstract

The optimum Ru surface composition for the electrooxidation of methanol in 0.5M sulfuric acid on bimetallic Pt-Ru electrocatalysts was shown to increase with increasing temperature, increasing methanol concentration and decreasing electrode potential. This is consistent with the proposed series mechanism of methanol adsorption/dehydrogenation and the subsequent removal of methanol dehydrogenation fragments via oxygen-containing species which nucleate on Ru surface atoms.