Effect of the morphology and composition of trimetallic PtCuAu/C catalysts on the activity and stability of the methanol oxidation reaction

Abstract

A study on the influence of the method for obtaining trimetallic PtCuAu/C catalysts on their activity in the oxidation of methanol has been carried out. The structural characteristics of the obtained trimetallic catalysts have been studied by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The nanoparticles of the material obtained by the galvanic synthesis method had a size twice as large (~ 6 nm) than the nanoparticles of the material obtained by the co-deposition of metal precursors. According to the results from the accelerated stress testing of catalysts, it was found that the material obtained by the galvanic method of substitution of copper atoms with gold had a higher residual activity in the oxidation of methanol than the commercial Pt/C analogue. This study shows the potential of obtaining and using multicomponent platinum-containing nanoparticles deposited on a carbon carrier as effective catalysts for use in methanol fuel cells.

Keywords

• methanol fuel cells
• catalysis
• trimetallic catalysts
• galvanic replacement