Direct Alcohol Fuel Cell Anode Catalyst

Direct alcohol fuel cell (DAFC) possesses the wide application prospect as the power source in the portable electronic products and electric vehicle etc, due to the easy transportation and storage of the fuel, light weight and small volume, inherent simplicity of the structure, the high energy efficiency and low pollution. However, at present, the poor kinetics of the anodic reaction of the commonly used fuel and methanol crossover are the two key techinique issues hindering the commercial application of DAFC. In this dissertation, a novel preparation method of the anodic catalysts was investigated and the effects of the several preparation variables on the alloying extent, the average size, the relative crystallinity and the distribution of the metal particles and the electrocatalytic activity and stability of the anodic catalysts were studied. The main results obtained are as follows:1. The electrocatalytic activity of Pt/CNTs pretreated with the concentrated HNO₃ at the different temperatures for the methanol oxidation was compared. It was found that the oxygen containing groups modified on the surface of CNTs with the pretreatment of the concentrated HNO₃ largely affect the average size of the Pt particles deposited on the CNTs surface. When the modification extent of the CNTs surface is suitable, the Pt particles in the Pt/CNTs catalyst prepared are relatively small. Therefore, the electrocatalytic activity of, the Pt/CNTs catalyst prepared for the methanol oxidation is high. If the modification extent of the CNTs surface is large, the Pt particles would be aggregated. Therefore, the electrocatalytic activity of the Pt/CNTs catalyst for the methanol oxidation could be decreased.2. The preparation of the anodic Pt-Ru/C catalyst using the complex reduction method and the electrocatalytic activity of the Pt-Ru/C catalyst prepared for the methanol oxidation were investigated.(1) It was suggested that when the Pt-Ru/C catalyst is prepared with the complex reduction method, the mixture solution of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and H₂O is used. Because THF can form the complex with H₂PtCl₆, the reduction potentials...