TEMPLATED ELECTRODEPOSMON OF Pt-Ru NANOPARTICLES ONFIBROUS CARBON SUBSTRATES IN THE PRESENCE OF NONIONICSURFACTANT: APPLICATION FOR METHANOL OXIDATION

摘要

Pt-Ru nanoparticles were electrodeposited onto three-dimensional graphitefelt substrates utilizing liquid crystalline and micellar aqueous solutions ofthe nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 to produce novel anode structures fordirect methanol fuel cells. The effect of surfactant concentration,deposition time and current density was studied employing a factorialexperimental design. Obtained electrocatalysts were characterized bySEM, EDX and ICP-AES. Cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry andchronopotentiometry were carried out to assess the catalytic activity formethanol oxidation. Pt-Ru deposited using 6 mA cm~2, 90 minutes and 40‰_(wt), Triton X-100 yielded superior performance. Preliminary fuel cell testshighlighted the importance of an ion-conducting network across thethickness of the three-dimensional anode. Both single electrode and fuelcell tests demonstrated that templated deposition yields better catalystutilization based on mass activity compared to plating from solutionswithout surfactant.