Publication: Harnessing the Potential of Hollow Graphitic Carbon Nanocages for Enhanced Methanol Oxidation Using PtRu Nanoparticles
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2024
Authors
Ramli Z.A.C.
Pasupuleti J.
Kamarudin S.K.
Zainoodin A.M.
Isahak W.N.R.W.
Koh S.P.
Kiong S.T.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Abstract
Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) is a powerful system for generating electrical energy for various applications. However, there are several limitations that hinder the commercialization of DMFCs, such as the expense of platinum (Pt) at market price, sluggish methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) due to carbon monoxide (CO) formation, and slow electrooxidation kinetics. This work introduces carbon nanocages (CNCs) that were obtained through the pyrolysis of polypyrrole (Ppy) as the carbon source. The CNCs were characterized using BET, XRD, HRTEM, TEM, SEM, and FTIR techniques. The CNCs derived from the Ppy source, pyrolyzed at 750 �C, exhibited the best morphologies with a high specific surface area of 416 m2g?1, allowing for good metal dispersion. Subsequently, PtRu catalyst was doped onto the CNC-Ppy750 support using chemical reduction and microwave-assisted methods. In electrochemical tests, the PtRu/CNC-Ppy750 electrocatalyst demonstrated improved CO tolerance and higher performance in MOR compared to PtRu-supported commercial carbon black (CB), with values of 427 mA mg?1 and 248 mA mg?1, respectively. The superior MOR performance of PtRu/CNC-Ppy750 was attributed to its high surface area of CNC support, uniform dispersion of PtRu catalyst, and small PtRu nanoparticles on the CNC. In DMFC single-cell tests, the PtRu/CNC-Ppy750 exhibited higher performance, approximately 1.7 times higher than PtRu/CB. In conclusion, the PtRu/CNC-PPy750 represents a promising electrocatalyst candidate for MOR and anodic DMFC applications. ? 2024 by the authors.
Description
Keywords
Anodic oxidation , Bioremediation , Methanol fuels , Nanoclay , Nanoparticles , Palladium , Platinum alloys , Platinum compounds , Pyrolysis , Rate constants , Anodic catalyst , Carbon nanocage support , Carbon nanocages , Direct-methanol fuel cells , Energy productions , Methanol oxidation reactions , Polypyrrole-carbon nanocage , Pt-Ru nanoparticles , ]+ catalyst , Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC)