Synthesis and characterization of Pt nanocatalyst on Ru0.7Ti0.3O2 support as a cathode for fuel cells application

摘要

Ruthenium oxide/titanium oxide, with a Ru:Ti atomic ratio of 7:3 was synthesized by modified sol-gel procedure and used as a support for platinum nanocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. The synthesized materials were characterized in terms of morphology, particle size distribution, chemical and phase composition by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high angle annular dark filed scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF, STEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). XPS spectra revealed that Ru atoms were in mainly in Ru(4+) oxidation state, the Ti atoms in Ti(4+) oxidation state, whereas the Pt-atoms were in metallic state. TEM analysis proved that platinum nanoparticles nucleated at both oxide species and homogeneous distribution was observed. The average platinum nanoparticle size was 3.05 nm.