Ni/Carbon Hybrid Prepared by Hydrothermal Carbonization and Thermal Treatment as Support for PtRu Nanoparticles for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

Ni/Carbon was prepared in two steps: initially cellulose as carbon source and NiCl2·6H2O as catalyst of the carbonization process were submitted to hydrothermal treatment at 200 °C and further to thermal treatment at 900 °C under argon atmosphere. The obtained material contains Ni nanoparticles with face-centered cubic (fcc) structure dispersed on amorphous carbon with graphitic domains. PtRu/C electrocatalysts (carbon-supported PtRu nanoparticles) were prepared by an alcohol-reduction process using Ni/Carbon as support. The materials were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and tested as anodes in single direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The performances of PtRu/C electrocatalysts using Ni/Carbon as support were superior to those obtained for PtRu/C using commercial carbon black Vulcan XC72 as support.