Highly Stable Pt-Ru Nanoparticles Supported on Three-Dimensional Cubic Ordered Mesoporous Carbon (Pt-Ru/CMK-8) as Promising Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation

The cost of the catalysts used in the direct methanol fuel cell poses a challenge to its widespread use as an energy efficient and environment friendly fuel conversion technology. In this study, two types of highly ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-8 (I and II) with high surface area and 3-D bicontinuous interpenetrating channels were synthesized and deposited with Pt-Ru nanoparticles using the sodium borohydride reduction method. The electrocatalytic capabilities for methanol oxidation were investigated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry, and the results were compared with that of Pt-Ru deposited on Vulcan XC-72 using the same preparation method as well as with commercial Pt-Ru/C (E-TEK) catalyst. Pt-Ru/CMK-8-I synthesized by the method developed in this work revealed an outstanding specific mass activity (487.9 mA/mg) and superior stability compared with the other supports, thus substantiating its potential to reduce the costs of DMFC catalysts.