Development of eletrocatalysts formed by mixed PT, Ru and Rh monolayer deposited on AU for the ethanol electro-oxidation

• Grant number: 09/05850-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2009
• End date: June 30, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Fabio Henrique Barros de Lima
• Grantee: Daniela Riello Gomes de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The ethanol oxidation electrocatalysis requires complex nanostructured electrocatalysts, with several different functions. That is because the reaction of total oxidation of ethanol to CO2 involves several steps: dehydrogenation, C-C bond breaking, and the oxidation of adsorbed CO, which is a reaction intermediate formed due to the ethanol dissociative adsorption. Platinum has presented the highest activity compared to all other pure metals. However, it still shows slow kinetics for the C-C bond breaking, and for the CO oxidation. So, it must be considered the development of more active and efficient platinum-based materials in order to reach practical applications. The present research project has two main objectives: (1) increase the catalytic activity by using mixed platinum - transition metal monolayers, and (2) reduce the mass of platinum by means of using gold as the nanoparticle core, which dramatically reduces the electrocatalyst cost. The final aim of this project is the correlation of the electrocatalytic activity and the reaction pathway with the superficial structure and composition of different synthesized materials. (AU)