Carbon nanostructures in portable fuel cells: Single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes for methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction

We show here, for the first time, a reproducible way to obtain films of varying amounts of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on electrode surfaces using electrophoretic deposition. We deposit these nanotubes in a facile manner on an optically transparent electrode (OTE) and investigate its performance as an electrode material in the presence of platinum for methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction. Our focus here is on the deposition of the SWCNT on the electrodes, the characterization of the nanotubes on the electrode surface, and the cyclic voltammetry of methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction using these nanostructured carbon electrodes with platinum electrodeposited on them. The nanotubes retain their structure on the electrode surface, and we can obtain electrodes with relatively thick films of the CNTs. The high surface area and porosity of these films enable us to use relatively small amounts of platinum and yet obtain excellent currents. We see a remarkable enhancement in methanol oxidation current relative to unsupported platinum. Analysis of the electrode kinetics using Tafel plots suggests that the CNT support provides a strong electrocatalytic effect in both reactions arising from their unique electrical properties.