Effects of the Electrodeposition Time in the Synthesis of Carbon-Supported Pt(Cu) and Pt-Ru(Cu) Core-Shell Electrocatalysts for Polymer Electrolye Fuel Cells
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Laboratori d’Electroquímica dels Materials i del Medi Ambient, Departament de Química Física, Facultat de Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
2
London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
3
Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Vincenzo Baglio and David Sebastián
Catalysts 2016, 6(8), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal6080125
Received: 22 June 2016 / Revised: 29 July 2016 / Accepted: 10 August 2016 / Published: 18 August 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysis for Low Temperature Fuel Cells)
Abstract
Pt(Cu)/C and Pt-Ru(Cu)/C electrocatalysts with core-shell structure supported on Vulcan Carbon XC72R have been synthesized by potentiostatic deposition of Cu nanoparticles on the support, galvanic exchange with Pt and spontaneous deposition of Ru species. The duration of the electrodeposition time of the different species has been modified and the obtained electrocatalysts have been characterized using electrochemical and structural techniques. The High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalyses allowed the determining of the effects of the electrodeposition time on the nanoparticle size and composition. The best conditions identified from Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) corresponded to onset potentials for CO and methanol oxidation on Pt-Ru(Cu)/C of 0.41 and 0.32 V vs. the Reversible Hydrogen Electrode (RHE), respectively, which were smaller by about 0.05 V than those determined for Ru-decorated commercial Pt/C. The CO oxidation peak potentials were about 0.1 V smaller when compared to commercial Pt/C and Pt-Ru/C. The positive effect of Cu was related to its electronic effect on the Pt shells and also to the generation of new active sites for CO oxidation. The synthesis conditions to obtain the best performance for CO and methanol oxidation on the core-shell Pt-Ru(Cu)/C electrocatalysts were identified. When compared to previous results in literature for methanol, ethanol and formic acid oxidation on Pt(Cu)/C catalysts, the present results suggest an additional positive effect of the deposited Ru species due to the introduction of the bifunctional mechanism for CO oxidation. View Full-TextKeywords:
core-shell Pt(Cu)/C electrocatalysts; core-shell Pt-Ru(Cu)/C electrocatalysts; potentiostatic deposition of Cu; Pt deposition by galvanic exchange; Ru spontaneous deposition; CO oxidation; methanol oxidation
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Caballero-Manrique, G.; Nadeem, I.M.; Brillas, E.; Centellas, F.; Garrido, J.A.; Rodríguez, R.M.; Cabot, P.-L. Effects of the Electrodeposition Time in the Synthesis of Carbon-Supported Pt(Cu) and Pt-Ru(Cu) Core-Shell Electrocatalysts for Polymer Electrolye Fuel Cells. Catalysts 2016, 6, 125.
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