The high activity of PtBi/C electrocatalysts for ethanol electro-oxidation in alkaline medium

Pt/C, Bi/C and PtBi/C (Pt:Bi atomic ratios of 90:10, 70:30 and 50:50) electrocatalysts were prepared by borohydride reduction using H2PtCl6·6H2O and Bi(NO3)3·5H2O as metal sources and Vulcan XC72 as carbon support. The obtained electrocatalysts were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The activity of the electrocatalysts for ethanol electro-oxidation was studied by chronoamperometry. PtBi/C electrocatalysts showed a significant increase of performance compared to Pt/C, while Bi/C showed no activity. Also, the performances of the PtBi/C electrocatalysts for ethanol electro-oxidation in alkaline medium were very superior to the ones obtained in acid medium.