Electrocatalytic Activity of Gold-Platinum Clusters for Low Temperature Fuel Cell Applications

The electrocatalytic activity of gold-platinum (Au-Pt) clusters was investigated in acidic and alkaline electrolytes. The clusters were synthesized by electrodeposition on fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) substrates and carbon disks with dimensions from 50 to 200 nm. Methanol electrooxidation (fuel cell anode) and oxygen electroreduction (fuel cell cathode) activities were measured using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results for methanol electrooxidation showed that platinum could be partially substituted by gold to achieve higher resistance to poisoning without affecting the activity in acid electrolyte, while in alkaline environment, a significant overall improvement in performance was observed. On the other hand, for the oxygen electroreduction, kinetic results obtained using a rotating disk electrode (RDE) indicated that Au alloying with Pt does not significantly alter the catalytic activity in acidic electrolyte, while a significant improvement in activity was observed in an alkaline electrolyte, which is attributed to a synergistic effect between the Au and Pt.