Influence of alcohol additives in the preparation of electrodeposited Pt-Ru catalysts on oxidized graphite cloths

Abstract

Carbon supported Pt-Ru catalysts were prepared by multiple cycles of potentiostatic pulses from aqueous diluted chloroplatinic acid and ruthenium chloride solutions in the presence of ethanol or ethylene glycol at pH 2 and 5. SEM images showed that the metallic deposit prepared at pH 2 consisted of large irregular agglomerates, whereas smaller globular particles were obtained at pH 5. In addition, the average particle size was considerably decreased in the presence of the stabilizers. The supported Pt-Ru alloys were tested as catalysts for methanol electro-oxidation in acid media. Electrocatalytic activity measurements indicated that the most active electrode was obtained with ethylene glycol as additive at pH 5. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.