PtNi and PtRuNi Alloy catalysts for Methanol Electrooxidation

메탄올 산화 반응을 위한 PtNi과 PtRuNi 합금 촉매

The electrooxidation of methanol was studied using Pt, PtNi(1.1 and 3:1), PtRuNi and PtRu(1:1) alloy nanoparticles in sulfuric acid solution for application to a direct methanol fuel cell. The PtNi and PtRuNi alloys showed excellent catalytic activities compared to those of pure Pt and PtRu. The role of Ni in the electrocatalytic activity was investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XPS data confirm that the chemical states of Pt are exclusively metal as well as the presence of metallic Ni, NiO, $Ni(OH)_2$, NiOOH, metallic Ru, $RuO_2$, and $RuO_3$. Negative shifts of the binding energies of Pt for the PtNi alloy nanoparticles were determined by XPS measurements. This can be explained based by assuming that the enhanced activities of PtNi alloys for methanol electrooxidation were caused by the oxide states of Ni and by the change in the electronic structure of Pt component in the alloys.