Preparation, characterization and application of trimetalics catalysts for oxidation of ethanol in fuel cell: C/Pt-Sn-Ni

• Grant number: 07/07814-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2008
• End date: December 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Adalgisa Rodrigues de Andrade
• Grantee: Thiago dos Santos Almeida
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Ethanol is a renew fuel, distributed all over the country which makes it a potential candidate to be used in fuel cell devices without reform. In order to obtain the maximum advantage of the energy of this reaction it is worthwhile to complete oxidize ethanol to carbon dioxide. In this process, 12 electrons are transferred. Nevertheless, the cleavage of the C-C bond occurs in a very short extend in the majority of the catalyst known until this moment. The CO2 formation competes towards formation of less oxidable compounds, i.e., acetic acid and acetaldehyde. This subject is suitable to many fundamental research, however it still far from the total understanding of the break of C-C bond. In our laboratory we have investigated the oxidation of small organic molecules using noble metals oxides. In, the present project pretends to obtain plurimetallic catalyst Pt-Sn, Pt-Ni, Pt-Sn-Ni prepared through thermal decomposition of polymeric precursors in order to apply it to oxidation of ethanol to direct ethanol fuel cell system (DEFC). The electrodes will be characterized phisicall and chemically by TEM, EDX, RDX, voltammetry and chronoamperometry. At the end, the electrolysis products will be determined using HPLC and CG-MS techniques. (AU)