PtRu nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes as catalyst for methanol electrooxidation

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNT) obtained by plasma treatment were compared to the conventional acid-treated carbon nanotubes (O-CNT) as catalyst support for platinum–ruthenium (PtRu) nanoparticles in the anodic oxidation of methanol in direct methanol fuel cells. PtRu catalysts were prepared by an impregnation-reduction method from chloride precursors with metal loadings of 20 wt.%, and were characterised by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical methods. Voltammetry and chronoamperometry studies showed that the performance of PtRu/N-CNT was significantly higher compared to PtRu/O-CNT and also to the commercial E-TEK PtRu/C catalyst, indicating that N-CNT are an interesting support material for fuel cell electrocatalyst. Nitrogen plasma treatment produced pyridinic and pyrrollic species on the CNT surface, which acts as the anchoring sites for the deposition of PtRu particles. A mechanism for the deposition of PtRu on N-CNT is tentatively proposed and discussed.