A novel Pt/Au/C cathode catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells with simultaneous methanol tolerance and oxygen promotion

A novel Pt/Au/C catalyst was prepared by depositing the Pt and Au nanoparticles on the carbon support. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electrochemically analyzed for activity towards oxygen-reduction reaction and methanol oxidation reaction. EDX and TEM results reveal that Pt nanoparticles supported on carbon supports were separated by Au nanoparticles. The electrochemical analysis indicate that the novel catalyst showed the enhanced methanol tolerance while maintaining a high catalytic activity for the oxygen-reduction reaction, which could be attributed to the less methanol adsorption on Pt/Au/C catalyst.