Outstanding electro-catalytic activity of Pt _x -(RuO _y -CeO_2)_(1-x) /C composites towards ethanol oxidation in acid media

摘要

Direct ethanol fuel cells are a key enabling technology for clean energy conversion; however, a major challenge is the determination of anode catalytic materials with high performance for complete ethanol oxidation. In this study, we synthesized binary Pt_(0.50)-(CeO_2)_(0.50)/C and Pt_(0.50)-(RuO _y)_(0.50)/C, as well as ternary Pt _x -(RuO _y -CeO_2)_(1-x) catalysts (x = 0.25, 0.50, or 0.75) and (y = 0, +2, or +3) by the sol-gel method and compared them in the ethanol oxidation reaction. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed the small particle size of the prepared catalysts (2.1-2.5 nm). Cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, derivative voltammetry, and potentiostatic polarization were employed to analyze the ethanol oxidation reaction on binary Pt_(0.50)-(CeO_2)_(0.50)/C and Pt_(0.50)-(RuO _y)_(0.50)/C and ternary Pt _x -(RuO _y -CeO_2)_(1-x) catalysts, as well as Pt/C and Pt-Ru/C commercial catalysts, including some insights estimating a possible reaction mechanism. The results demonstrate, considering the activity outcomes approach, the highly superior performance of the Pt_(0.25)-(RuO _y -CeO_2)_(0.75)/C catalyst.