Ru-Pt/C Catalysts Prepared By Sea and ED Methods for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

The direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) has been receiving increasing attention as a future power source suitable for small portable electronic devices such as laptops and cellphones. Currently, a Ru-Pt alloy and Pt metal are typically used as the anode and cathode catalysts, respectively, for the DMFC. Many methods exist to prepare bimetallic catalysts, and the properties and performance of the catalysts can be related to the preparation method used. In this project, we are interested in the preparation of nanometer sized Ru-Pt particles on a carbon support with different loadings of Ru and Pt. The methods of strong electrostatic adsorption (SEA) and electroless deposition (ED) were used for the preparation of Pt and Ru nanoparticles respectively. These methods utilize the manipulation of pH and temperature to affect the properties and performance of the catalyst. The particle size and distribution of the catalysts were determined by means of chemisorption and X-ray diffraction. The activities of the catalysts for the oxidation of methanol were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry. These Ru-Pt catalysts prepared by SEA and ED methods are expected to show higher activity compared to the activity of commercially available Ru-Pt catalysts prepared by alternate methods when used in the DMFC.