Study of ethanol electro-oxidation in acid environment on Pt3Sn/C anode catalysts prepared by a modified polymeric precursor method under controlled synthesis conditions
✍ Scribed by R.F.B. De Souza; L.S. Parreira; D.C. Rascio; J.C.M. Silva; E. Teixeira-Neto; M.L. Calegaro; E.V. Spinace; A.O. Neto; M.C. Santos
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2010
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 741 KB
- Volume
- 195
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0378-7753
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✦ Synopsis
A carbon-supported binary Pt 3 Sn catalyst has been prepared using a modified polymeric precursor method under controlled synthesis conditions. This material was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the results indicate that 23% (of a possible 25%) of Sn is alloyed with Pt, forming a dominant Pt 3 Sn phase. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows good dispersion of the electrocatalyst and small particle sizes (3.6 nm ± 1 nm). The polarization curves for a direct ethanol fuel cell using Pt 3 Sn/C as the anode demonstrated improved performance compared to that of a PtSn/C E-TEK, especially in the intrinsic resistance-controlled and mass transfer regions. This behavior is probably associated with the Pt 3 Sn phase. The maximum power density for the Pt 3 Sn/C electrocatalyst (58 mW cm -2 ) is nearly twice that of a PtSn/C E-TEK electrocatalyst (33 mW cm -2 ). This behavior is attributed to the presence of a mixed Pt 9 Sn and Pt 3 Sn alloy phase in the commercial catalysts.