STUDIES ON PHYSICAL AND ELECTROCHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS OF THE CARBON SUPPORTED PT/RU ELECTROCATALYST INDUCED BY DIFFERENT SYNTHETIC METHODOLOGY FOR FUEL CELL APPLICATIONS

摘要

The carbon supported Pt/Ru is found be most commercially usedrnanodic electrocatalyst for direct methanol fuel cell applicationsrnhowever, there are ternary and quaternary metallic based catalyst alsornavailable. Here we report in outcome of the synthetic procedures onrnproperties of carbon supported Pt/Ru catalysts. Differentrnelectrocatalysts were synthesized by using propylene glycol, ethylenernglycol, glycerin, polyvynilpyrrolidone (PVP) ethylene glycolrnmethodology, hydrazine, sodium borohydride, formic acid, sodiumrnformate as reducing agents and electrochemical reduction of metalsrnon carbon supported electrode. The synthesized electrocatalysts wererncharacterized by; powder XRD, electron microscopic techniques likernSEM, EDS, and TEM, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) for surfacernarea analysis, and finally electrochemical discharge testing (EDT)rnwas carried out to examine performance and durability of synthesizedrnelectrocatalyst (open circuit and on load voltages, current density andrnpower density). The synthesized catalysts had shown high catalyticrnactivity and CO tolerance in direct methanol fuel cell applications,rnhigher activity is achieved by those electrocatalysts which arernsynthesized by using weak reducing agents.