Improving the Electrocatalytic Activities and CO Tolerance of Pt NPs by Incorporating TiO2 Nanocubes onto Carbon Supports

Author(s)

Antoniassi, Rodolfo M. ^[1] ; Quiroz, Jhon ^{[2, 1]} ; Barbosa, Eduardo C. M. ^[1] ; Parreira, Luanna S. ^[1] ; Isidoro, Roberta A. ^[3] ; Spinace, V, Estevam ; Silva, Julio C. M. ^[4] ; Camargo, Pedro H. C. ^{[2, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Quim IQ, Cidade Univ, Av Prof Lineu Prestes 748, BR-05508000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Helsinki, Dept Chem, AI Virtasen Aukio 1, Helsinki - Finland

^[3] V, IPEN CNEN SP, Inst Pesquisas Energet & Nucl, Cidade Univ, Av Prof Lineu Prestes 2242, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[4] Inst Quim Univ Fed Fluminense, Grp Eletroquim & Mat Nanoestruturados, Campus Valonguinho, BR-24020141 Niteroi, RJ - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: CHEMCATCHEM; v. 13, n. 8 FEB 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Designing efficient anode CO-tolerant electrocatalysts is critical in low-temperature fuel cell catalysts fueled either by H-2/CO or alcohol. We demonstrate that the incorporation of TiO2 nanocubes (TiO2NCs) on Carbon Vulcan supports, followed by the synthesis of Pt NPs at their surface (Pt/TiO2NCs-C material), led to improvements in performance towards the electrooxidation of carbon monoxide, ethanol, methanol, ethylene glycol, and glycerol in acidic media relative to the commercial Pt/C and Pt/TiO2-C counterparts employing commercial TiO2. The nanocubes enabled changes in the electronic properties of Pt NPs while contributing to the bifunctional mechanism as compared to Pt/C and Pt/TiO2-C with commercial TiO2. Fuel cell experiments fed with H-2/CO steam showed that Pt/TiO2NCs-C employing nanocubes was resistant to CO-poisoning, yielding superior performance in operational conditions. The results reported herein have important implications for developing electrocatalysts with superior performances in PEMFCs. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/09087-4 - Studies on the use of bioethanol in proton exchange membrane and solid oxide fuel cells
• Grantee: Marcelo Linardi
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 16/17866-9 - Tailoring the catalytic properties of plasmonic Nanorattles towards the photochemical activation of oxygen under mild conditions
• Grantee: Jhon Jhon Quiroz Torres
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 16/00819-8 - Controlled Synthesis of Nanomaterials based on Pd and Pt: Electrocatalytic Activity and Stability
• Grantee: Luanna Silveira Parreira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 15/26308-7 - Optimization of the physicochemical properties of nano -structured materials for applications in molecular recognition, catalysis and energy conversion/storage
• Grantee: Roberto Manuel Torresi
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 15/11452-5 - Hybrid materials composed of oxides and metallic nanoparticles for catalytic and photocatalytic applications
• Grantee: Eduardo César Melo Barbosa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 17/15469-5 - Preparation of nanocatalysts with controlled morphology for applications in hydrogen purification and oxidation of contaminated hydrogen for electric energy generation
• Grantee: Rodolfo Molina Antoniassi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 17/11937-4 - A sustainable path to methane conversion by advanced electrochemical technologies
• Grantee: Fabio Coral Fonseca
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Centers in Engineering Program