Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7724247 | International Journal of Hydrogen Energy | 2011 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Different compositions of Pt, PtNi, PtSn, and PtSnNi electrocatalysts supported on carbon Vulcan XC-72 were prepared through thermal decomposition of polymeric precursors. The nanoparticles were characterized by morphological and structural analyses (XRD, TEM, and EDX). XRD results revealed a face-centered cubic structure for platinum, and there was evidence that Ni and Sn atoms are incorporated into the Pt structure. The electrochemical investigation was carried out in slightly acidic medium (H2SO4 0.05Â mol Lâ1), in the absence and in the presence of ethanol. Addition of Ni to Pt/C and PtSn/C catalysts significantly shifted the onset of ethanol and CO oxidations toward lower potentials, thus enhancing the catalytic activity, especially in the case of the ternary PtSnNi/C composition. Electrolysis of ethanol solutions at 0.4Â V vs. RHE allowed for determination of acetaldehyde and acetic acid as the reaction products, as detected by HPLC analysis. Due to the high concentration of ethanol employed in the electrolysis experiments (1.0Â mol Lâ1), no formation of CO2 was observed.
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Authors
T.S. Almeida, K.B. Kokoh, A.R. De Andrade,