Co-sputtering growth and electro-oxidation properties of Pt–CuO nanocomposites for direct methanol thin film fuel cells

We investigated the catalytic activity of Pt-incorporated CuO electrodes for thin-film fuel cells. The electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction results show the formation of Pt nanoparticles embedded within an amorphous CuO matrix (Pt–CuO nanocomposite). The Pt–CuO nanocomposite electrode gives a much higher current density than a Pt only electrode at an accelerating voltage of 0.67 V in a mixture of 2.0 M CH3OH and 0.5 M H2SO4 solutions. The enhanced catalytic activity of the nanocomposite electrode is attributed to the increased active surface area, due to the formation of Pt nanoparticles, and the amorphous CuO supporting matrix.