Electrooxidation of methanol on carbon nanotubes supported Pt–Fe alloy electrode

The synthesis and characterization of catalysts based on bimetallic materials, Pt–Fe supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) for methanol electrooxidation is reported here. The catalyst was prepared by a spray-cooling process and characterized by TEM, EDS, ICP and XRD. The electrocatalytic properties of the Pt–Fe/MWNTs electrode for methanol oxidation have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. It presented higher electrocatalytic activity and stability than a comparative Pt/MWNTs catalyst. This may be attributed to the addition of Fe which leads to the small average particle size and high utilization of Pt in the Pt–Fe/MWNTs catalyst. The results imply that the Pt–Fe/MWNTs composite has good potential applications in fuel cells.