Study of ethanol electro-oxidation in acid environment on Pt3Sn/C anode catalysts prepared by a modified polymeric precursor method under controlled synthesis conditions

Author(s)

De Souza, R. F. B. ; Parreira, L. S. ; Rascio, D. C. ; Silva, J. C. M. ; Teixeira-Neto, E. ; Calegaro, M. L. ; Spinace, E. V. ; Neto, A. O. ; Santos, M. C.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Power Sources; v. 195, n. 6, p. 5-pg., 2010-03-15.

Abstract

A carbon-supported binary Pt3Sn catalyst has been prepared using a modified polymeric precursor method under controlled synthesis conditions This material was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD). and the results indicate that 23% (of a possible 25%) of Sn is alloyed with Pt, forming a dominant Pt3Sn phase. Transmission election microscopy (TEM) shows good dispersion of the electrocatalyst and small particle sizes (3 6 nm +/- 1 nm) The polarization curves for a direct ethanol fuel cell using Pt3Sn/C as the anode demonstrated Improved performance compared to that of a PtSn/C E-TEK. especially in the intrinsic resistance-controlled and mass transfer regions. This behavior is probably associated with the Pt3Sn phase. The maximum power density for the Pt3Sn/C electrocatalyst (58 mW cm(-2)) is nearly twice that of a PtSn/C E-TEK electrocatalyst (33 mW cm(-2)) This behavior is attributed to the presence of a mixed Pt9Sn and Pt3Sn alloy phase in the commercial catalysts (C) 2009 Elsevier B V All rights reserved (AU)