Pt-CeO2/C anode catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells

In order to develop a cheaper and durable catalyst for methanol electrooxidation reaction, ceria (CeO2) as a co-catalytic material with Pt on carbon was investigated with an aim of replacing Ru in PtRu/C which is considered as prominent anode catalyst till date. A series of Pt-CeO2/C catalysts with various compositions of ceria, viz. 40 wt% Pt-3–12 wt% CeO2/C and PtRu/C were synthesized by wet impregnation method. Electrocatalytic activities of these catalysts for methanol oxidation were examined by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques and it is found that 40 wt% Pt-9 wt% CeO2/C catalyst exhibited a better activity and stability than did the unmodified Pt/C catalyst. Hence, we explore the possibility of employing Pt-CeO2 as an electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation. The physicochemical characterizations of the catalysts were carried out by using Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) surface area and pore size distribution (PSD) measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. A tentative mechanism is proposed for a possible role of ceria as a co-catalyst in Pt/C system for methanol electrooxidation.