Study of sulphonic acid functionalization of Vulcan XC-72 carbon black support of Pt/Vulcan XC-72 catalyst for methanol electrooxidation

摘要

Sulphonic acid groups have been grafted onto the surface of Vulcan XC-72carbon of the Pt/Vulcan XC-72 catalyst to improve platinum utilization in methanol electrooxidation studies. Thesulphonic acid modification has been carried out by reacting the Pt/VulcanXC-72 catalyst with formaldehyde and sodium sulfite. The resultant sulphonatedcatalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and cyclicvoltammetry. FT-IR spectra confirm the incorporation of the sulphonic acidgroup on the carbon black support of the catalyst. XRD shows better dispersionof the Pt nanoparticles upon sulphonic acid modification. The electrochemicalmeasurement using cyclic voltammetry shows enhanced activity for methanolelectrooxidation for the sulphonic acid modified catalyst as compared to theunmodified one.