Promotion of Pt–Ru/C catalysts driven by heat treated induced surface segregation for methanol oxidation reaction

Carbon supported Pt–Ru/C (1:1) alloy catalysts supplied by E-TEK are widely used for fuel cell research. Heat treatments in various atmospheres are conducted for the promotion of the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and the investigation of the structure–activity relationship (SAR) of the catalysts. The alloy structures, surface compositions, surface species, and electro-catalytic activities of the alloy catalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV), respectively. The as-received Pt–Ru/C catalysts have a Ru rich in the inner core and Pt rich on the outer shell structure. Thermal treatments on the catalysts induce Ru surface segregation in different extents and thereby lead to their alteration of the alloying degrees. O2 treatment results in obvious Ru segregation and formation of RuO2. Catalysts treated in H2 have the highest If/Ib value in the CV scans among all samples, indicating the catalysts have the excellent CO de-poisoning ability as evidenced by anodic CO stripping experiments. N2 treatment may serve as an adjustment process for the surface composition and structure of the catalysts, which can suppress the surface Pt depletion (∼60% Pt on the surface), make the components stable and hence promote the MOR significantly.

Research highlights▶ Thermal treatments on the Pt–Ru/C induce different extents of surface segregation. ▶ O2 treatment results in obvious Ru segregation and formation of RuO2. ▶ Catalysts treated in H2 have the excellent CO de-poisoning ability. ▶ N2 treatment suppresses the surface Pt depletion and hence promotes the MOR.