Investigation of ethanol electrooxidation on a Pt–Ru–Ni/C catalyst for a direct ethanol fuel cell

This research is aimed to improve the utilization and activity of anodic alloy catalysts and thus to lower the contents of noble metals and the catalyst loading on anodes for ethanol electrooxidation. The DEFC anodic catalysts, Pt–Ru–Ni/C and Pt–Ru/C, were prepared by a chemical reduction method. Their performances were tested by using a glassy carbon working electrode and cyclic voltammetric curves, chronoamperometric curves and half cell measurement in a solution of 0.5 mol L−1 CH3CH2OH and 0.5 mol L−1 H2SO4. The composition of the Pt–Ru–Ni and Pt–Ru surface particles were determined by EDAX analysis. The particle size and lattice parameter of the catalysts were determined by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD). XRD analysis showed that both of the catalysts exhibited face centered cubic structures and had smaller lattice parameters than a Pt-alone catalyst. Their particle sizes were small, about 4.5 nm. No significant differences in the ethanol electrooxidation on both electrodes were found using cyclic voltammetry, especially regarding the onset potential for ethanol electrooxidation. The electrochemically active specific areas of the Pt–Ru–Ni/C and Pt–Ru/C catalysts were almost the same. But, the catalytic activity of the Pt–Ru–Ni/C catalyst was higher for ethanol electrooxidation than that of the Pt–Ru/C catalyst. Their tolerance to CO formed as one of the intermediates of ethanol electrooxidation, was better than that of the Pt–Ru/C catalyst.