Investigation on Electrocatalytic Activity and Stability of Pt/C Catalyst Prepared by Facile Solvothermal Synthesis for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

Pt nanoparticles supported on Vulcan XC‐72 carbon black have been synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. The obtained Pt/C catalysts are characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDAX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis to identify Pt mean size and Pt content. The results of electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the Pt/C catalyst prepared at the reaction temperature of 140 °C and the reaction time of 2 h shows the biggest initial electrochemical area with an initial electrochemically active specific surface area (ESA) of 70.6 m²g_Pt⁻¹, the highest electrocatalytic stability with an ESA loss of 48.7% after 1,000 CV cycles, and the best electrocatalytic activity and stability toward methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) with a specific activity of 0.6 mA cm⁻² and a retention rate (the ratio of the final current density to the maximum current density) after 3,600 s of 42.8%. Moreover, the electrochemical performance of homemade Pt/C catalyst is superior to that of commercial Pt/C catalyst, suggesting that the solvothermal synthesis is a promising method for preparing Pt based catalyst.     

Effect of heat treatment on PtRu/C catalyst for methanol electro-oxidation

The effect of heat treatment on a commercial PtRu/C catalyst was investigated with a focus on the relationship between electrochemical and surface properties. The heat treated PtRu/C catalysts were prepared by reducing the commercial PtRu/C catalyst at 300, 500, and 600 °C under hydrogen flow. The maximum mass activity for the methanol electro-oxidation reaction (MOR) was observed in the catalyst heat treated at 500 °C, while specific activity for the MOR increased with increasing heat treatment temperature. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results revealed that the heat treatment caused Pt rich surface formation. The increase in surface Pt was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; the surface (Pt:Ru) ratio of the fresh catalyst (81:19) changed to (87:13) in the 600 °C heat treated catalyst. Quantitative analysis of the Ru oxidation state showed that the ratio of metallic Ru increased with an increase in heat treatment temperature. On the other hand, RuO_xH_y completely reduced at 500 °C and the ratio of RuO₂ slightly decreased with increasing heat treatment temperature.     

Catalytic combustion of toluene on platinum-containing monolithic carbon aerogels

Monolithic organic aerogels were prepared by the sol–gel procedure from the polymerisation reaction of resorcinol and formaldehyde in water. The organic aerogels were heat treated in inert atmosphere at either 500 or 1000 °C to obtain the carbon aerogels. The catalysts were prepared by impregnation with an aqueous solution of [Pt(NH₃)₄]Cl₂ or by dissolving this salt in the initial aerogel mixture. Supported catalysts were pretreated in He at 400 °C or H₂ at 300 °C before their characterization by H₂ chemisorption, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy or before testing their catalytic activity. Catalyst activities in toluene combustion were evaluated by conversion versus temperature (light-off curves) and conversion versus time catalytic tests. In the case of catalysts prepared by impregnation, the light-off curves for the total combustion of toluene were shifted to lower temperatures with increasing Pt particle size. This suggests that the reaction was sensitive to the Pt structure within the dispersion range of these catalysts. However, the reverse occurred with catalysts prepared by mixing the precursor in the initial aerogel mixture. Results found could be due to the different surface Pt content of these catalysts as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This difference was related to the growth of large three-dimensional Pt particles on the surface of the less dispersed catalyst. This means that there is a critical Pt particle size above which the toluene combustion activity decreases with increasing Pt particle size, due to the reduction in active surface sites available for the combustion reaction. Other effect that might influence the activity of these last catalysts is the encapsulation of some Pt particles by the carbon matrix.     

Preparation of Low Loading Pt/C Catalyst by Carbon Xerogel Method for Ethanol Electrooxidation

Low platium loading Pt/C catalyst was prepared by direct Pt-embedded carbon xerogel method. The Pt content of the as-prepared Pt/C is about 4.32 wt% and has a typical polycrystalline phase. Textural and structural characteristics of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, EDS and BET. Pt-embedded in carbon xerogel increases the specific surface area and pore volume of the X-Pt/C during carbon gelation and the carbonization process. Electrochemical characteristics of the catalysts for ethanol electrooxidation were measured. The results indicated that the as-prepared 4.32 wt% Pt/C has higher mass current density in ethanol electrooxidation as compared to the 20 wt% Pt/C. This may be due to the high roughness of the Pt surface that is formed during the carbon gelation and carbonization process.     

Study of Methanol‐tolerant Oxygen Reduction Reaction at Pt–Bi/C Bimetallic Nanostructured Catalysts

The nanostructured platinum–bismuth catalysts supported on carbon (Pt₃Bi/C, PtBi/C and PtBi₃/C) were synthesised by reducing the aqueous metal ions using sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) in presence of a microemulsion. The amount of metal loading on carbon support was found to be 10 wt.‐%. The catalyst materials were characterised by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray fluorescence (XRF), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and electroanalytical techniques. The Pt₃Bi/C, PtBi/C and PtBi₃/C catalysts showed higher methanol tolerance, catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) than Pt/C of same metal loading. The electrochemical stability of these nano‐sized catalyst materials for methanol tolerance was investigated by repetitive cycling in the potential range of –250 to 150 mV_MSE. Bi presents an interesting system to have a control over the activity of the surface for MOR and ORR. All Pt–Bi/C catalysts exhibited higher mass activities for oxygen reduction (1–1.5 times) than Pt/C. It was found that PtBi/C catalyst exhibits better methanol‐tolerance than the other catalysts.     

Durable Transition‐Metal‐Carbide‐Supported Pt–Ru Anodes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Molybdenum carbide (MoC) and tungsten carbide (WC) are synthesized by direct carbonization method. Pt–Ru catalysts supported on MoC, WC, and Vulcan XC‐72R are prepared, and characterized by X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy in conjunction with electrochemistry. Electrochemical activities for the catalysts towards methanol electro‐oxidation are studied by cyclic voltammetry. All the electro‐catalysts are subjected to accelerated durability test (ADT). The electrochemical activity of carbide‐supported electro‐catalysts towards methanol electro‐oxidation is found to be higher than carbon‐supported catalysts before and after ADT. The study suggests that Pt–Ru/MoC and Pt–Ru/WC catalysts are more durable than Pt–Ru/C. Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) with Pt–Ru/MoC and Pt–Ru/WC anodes also exhibit higher performance than the DMFC with Pt–Ru/C anode.     

Evaluation of the Performance of Carbon Supported Pt–Ru–Ni–P as Anode Catalyst for Methanol Electrooxidation

This research is aimed to improve the activity and stability of ternary alloy Pt–Ru–Ni/C catalyst. A novel anodic catalyst for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), carbon supported Pt–Ru–Ni–P nanoparticles, has been prepared by chemical reduction method by using NaH₂PO₂ as a reducing agent. One glassy carbon disc working electrode is used to test the catalytic performances of the homemade catalysts by cyclic voltammetric (CV), chronoamperometric (CA) and amperometric i–t measurements in a solution of 0.5 mol L^–1 H₂SO₄ and 0.5 mol L^–1 CH₃OH. The compositions, particle sizes and morphology of home‐made catalysts are evaluated by means of energy dispersive analysis of X‐ray (EDAX), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron micrographs (TEM), respectively. TEM images show that Pt–Ru–Ni–P nanoparticles have an even size distribution with an average diameter of less than 2 nm. The results of CV, CA and i–t curves indicate that the Pt–Ru–Ni–P/C catalyst shows significantly higher activity and stability for methanol electrooxidation due to the presence of non‐metal phosphorus in comparison to Pt–Ru–Ni/C one. All experimental results indicate that the addition of non‐metallic phosphorus into the Pt–Ru–Ni/C catalyst has definite value of research and practical application for enhancing the performance of DMFC.     

Preparation of High Performance Pt/CNT Catalysts Stabilized by Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid Disodium Salt

A novel method with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA‐2Na) as a stabilizing agent was developed to prepare highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to use as proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell catalysts. These nanocatalysts were obtained by altering the molar ratio of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt to chloroplatinic acid (EDTA‐2Na/Pt) from 1:2, 1:1, 2:1 to 3:1. The well‐dispersed Pt nanoparticles of around 1.5 nm in size on CNTs were obtained when the EDTA‐2Na/Pt ratio was maintained at 1:1. And the Pt/CNT catalyst exhibited large electrochemical active surface areas, very high electrocatalytic activity and excellent stability in the oxidation of methanol at room temperature. The Pt/XC‐72R catalyst with narrow size distribution was also prepared by this method for comparison purposes. Comparison of the catalytic properties of these catalysts revealed that the activity of the Pt/CNT catalyst was a factor of ∼3 times higher than that of the Johnson Matthey catalyst and ∼2 times higher than that of our Pt/XC‐72R catalyst, which can be assigned to the high level of dispersion of Pt nanoparticles and the particular properties of the CNT supports.     

Effect of heat treatment on stability of gold particle modified carbon supported Pt-Ru anode catalysts for a direct methanol fuel cell

Carbon supported Au-PtRu (Au-PtRu/C) catalysts were prepared as the anodic catalysts for the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The procedure involved simple deposition of Au particles on a commercial Pt-Ru/C catalyst, followed by heat treatment of the resultant composite catalyst at 125, 175 and 200 °C in a N₂ atmosphere. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) measurements indicated that the Au nanoparticles were attached to the surface of the Pt-Ru nanoparticles. We found that the electrocatalytic activity and stability of the Au-PtRu/C catalysts for methanol oxidation is better than that of the PtRu/C catalyst. An enhanced stability of the electrocatalyst is observed and attributable to the promotion of CO oxidation by the Au nanoparticles adsorbed onto the Pt-Ru particles, by weakening the adsorption of CO, which can strongly adsorb to and poison Pt catalyst. XPS results show that Au-PtRu/C catalysts with heat treatment lead to surface segregation of Pt metal and an increase in the oxidation state of Ru, which militates against the dissolution of Ru. We additionally find that Au-PtRu/C catalysts heat-treated at 175 °C exhibit the highest electrocatalytic stability among the catalysts prepared by heat treatment: this observation is explained as due to the attainment of the highest relative concentration of gold and the highest oxidation state of Ru oxides for the catalyst pretreated at this temperature.     

Partially embedded highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles in mesoporous carbon with enhanced leaching stability

Mesoporous carbon materials with highly dispersed platinum nanoparticles have been prepared by a one-pot template-assisted synthesis route. Different amounts of hexachloroplatinic acid were added to a silica-sucrose mixture and heat treated in nitrogen and hydrogen flow. The obtained Pt/C materials have been investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption at 77 K, thermo gravimetric analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and infrared monitored CO adsorption experiments. Further, Pt/C materials have been used in the liquid-phase oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid to determine their catalytic performance. It has been found that the platinum nanoparticles are partially embedded in the carbon material. However, the Pt sites are accessible for adsorption, and the Pt/C catalysts show good catalytic activity compared to materials prepared by impregnation/reduction. The partial embedding of the Pt nanoparticles accounts for the enhanced leaching stability of the Pt phase during long-term use.     

Screening of PdM and PtM catalysts in a multi-anode direct formic acid fuel cell

Direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFC) currently employ either Pt-based or Pd-based anode catalysts for oxidation of formic acid. However, improvements are needed in either the activity of Pt-based catalysts or the stability of Pd-based catalysts. In this study, a number of carbon-supported Pt-based and Pd-based catalysts, were prepared by co-depositing PdM (M = Bi, Mo, or V) on Vulcan^® XC-72 carbon black, or depositing another metal (Pb or Sn) on a Pt/C catalyst. These catalysts were systematically evaluated and compared with commercial Pd/C, PtRu/C, and Pt/C catalysts in a multi-anode DFAFC. The PtPb/C and PtSn/C catalysts were found to show significantly higher activities than the commercial Pt/C catalyst, while the PdBi/C provided higher stability than the commercial Pd/C catalyst.     

Solid state NMR study of chemical structure and hydrothermal deactivation of moderate-temperature carbon materials with acidic SO3H sites

Hydrothermal stability of carbon based acid catalysts synthesized by sulfonating carbohydrates pyrolyzed at moderate temperatures (300–600 °C) has been reported previously. To test the effect of carbon structure on hydrothermal stability, we produced catalysts by dry pyrolysis at 350 °C and 450 °C or by hydrothermal carbonization, followed by sulfonation with fuming sulfuric acid, as well as by direct sulfonation of glucose. The catalysts were characterized by BET, titration, Raman spectroscopy, TGA, XPS, reaction testing, and ¹³C solid state NMR. Catalysts were hydrothermally treated and then analyzed for sulfur retention and catalytic activity. The lower temperature carbon catalysts showed the best stability, however all showed significant activity loss. Solid state NMR of materials made from ¹³C-glucose was used to characterize the structural details in an attempt to correlate functional groups to hydrothermal stability of catalyst active sites. Structural models generated from NMR data showed that the most stable catalysts contained a significant fraction of furan rings and hardly any polycondensed aromatic rings.     

Total oxidation catalysts based on manganese or copper oxides and platinum or palladium II: Activity, hydrothermal stability and sulphur resistance

Deactivation of catalysts based on either manganese oxides, copper oxides, platinum, palladium or combinations of these metal oxides and noble metals supported on γ-alumina was studied. The activity of the catalysts for the oxidation of carbon monoxide, naphthalene and methane, in a mixture resembling the flue gases from wood combustion, was measured before and after exposure of the catalysts either to a temperature of 900°C in the presence of steam or to sulphur dioxide. Most of the mixed catalysts were more resistant to hydrothermal and sulphur treatments than the catalysts with a single active component. After the hydrothermal treatment the activity of the MnO_x catalyst was enhanced. When Pt is combined with MnO_x or CuO_x, the loss of activity of Pt was decreased during the hydrothermal treatment. Also, the hydrotreated mixed MnO_x–Pd and CuO_x–Pd catalysts were more active than the treated Pd catalyst for the oxidation of methane. After sulphur treatment, the activities of the mixed MnO_x–Pt (Pt: 0.05 mol%), MnO_x–Pd and CuO_x–Pd catalysts were improved for the oxidation of carbon monoxide and naphthalene. Among the catalysts studied, the MnO_x–Pt, CuO_x–Pt and CuO_x–Pd catalysts, with a metal oxide and a noble metal loading of 10 and 0.1 mol%/γ-alumina, respectively, had the best combination of activity, thermal stability and resistance to sulphur treatment.     

碳载体预处理对纳米Pt/C电催化性能影响

利用NaBH₄还原机制,采用经不同方法预处理的碳载体成功制备出Pt/C-HNO₃、Pt/C-H₂O₂和Pt/C 3种碳载铂纳米催化剂.通过扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(HR-TEM)、循环伏安(CV)和CO_ad溶出技术进行表征.结果表明,所制备的催化剂大小分布较为均一,平均粒径约为4 nm;HR-TEM观察发现,Pt/C-HNO₃中铂纳米粒子的表面具有较高的台阶原子密度;在CO_ad溶出实验中Pt/C-HNO_3­表现出较强的抗一氧化碳毒化能力;所制备的3种催化剂及商业催化剂Pt/C JM对乙醇氧化的电催化活性顺序为:Pt/C-HNO₃ > Pt/C-H₂O₂ > Pt/C > Pt/C JM,其中Pt/C-HNO₃的电催化活性和稳定性分别为Pt/C JM的1.5倍和1.9倍.     

常压条件下Pd/C催化邻氯硝基苯加氢反应

用化学还原法制备了活性炭负载Pd、Pt和 Ru共3种贵金属催化剂,在没有添加任何脱氯抑制剂和助剂的前提下,比较研究了3种催化剂在邻氯硝基苯(o-CNB)加氢制邻氯苯胺(o-CAN)反应中的催化性能,发现Pd/C催化剂效果更佳。以Pd/C为催化剂,考察了溶剂种类、反应温度、反应时间和重复使用次数等因素对邻氯硝基苯转化率及邻氯苯胺选择性的影响。实验结果表明:常压条件下,Pd与邻氯硝基苯的质量比为1/2120,反应时间90min,邻氯硝基苯转化率和邻氯苯胺选择性分别可达100%和 87.4%。催化剂在重复使用6次后仍保持较高的活性。该工艺具有反应压力低、催化剂用量少、反应时间短和脱氯少等特点,适合工业化生产。     

Effects of carbonization conditions on the properties of coal-based microfiltration carbon membranes

Carbon membranes, a novel porous inorganic membrane, have considerable potential applications in many industrial fields owing to their better stability in aggressive and adverse environments. However, the high cost of precursor materials has hampered their wide applications on commercial scale. In this study, coal, a cheap material, is used to prepare the tubular microfiltration carbon membranes. The effects of carbonization conditions on the properties of coal-based carbon membrane were investigated by the variation of the weight loss, shrinkage ratio of tube size and pore structure characteristics during carbonization. The results show that carbonization conditions greatly affect the properties of coal-based carbon membranes. The carbon membranes carbonized in the inert gases have more “open” porous structure and high gas flux compared to those carbonized in vacuum which makes the carbon membrane possess smaller pores and low gas flux. The carbonization temperature plays an important role in the determination of the pore structure and densification of carbon matrix. At the temperature below 600°C, the pore structure and carbon matrix of carbon membrane are formed with more than 95% of the total weight loss and only 48% of the total size shrinkage ratio. The matrix of carbon membrane gets more compact with the temperature increasing from 600°C to 900°C, in which the size shrinkage ratio is up to 52% with only 5% of the total weight loss. The low heating rate should favor the preparation of the carbon membranes with small average pore size and narrow pore size distribution, and the high gas flow rate can produce the carbon membranes with large average pore size and high porosity.     

Comparative study of aromatization selectivity during N‐heptane reforming on sintered Pt/Al2O3 and Pt‐Re/Al2O3 catalysts

BACKGROUND: The metal dispersed over a support can be present as small crystallites with sizes less than 5 nm. The smaller crystallites favour aromatization while larger crystallites favour cracking/hydrogenolysis. Sintering results in the agglomerization of smaller metal crystallites. Correlation of size with aromatization selectivity was investigated. RESULTS: The primary products of n‐heptane reforming on fresh Pt were methane, toluene, and benzene, while on fresh Pt‐Re, the only product was methane. Both catalysts exhibited enhanced aromatization selectivity at different oxygen sintering temperatures. The reaction products ranged from only toluene at 500 °C sintering temperature to methane at a sintering temperature of 650 °C with no reaction at 800 °C for the Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst. On Pt‐Re/Al₂O₃ catalyst, methane was the sole product at a sintering temperature of 500 °C while only toluene was produced at a sintering temperature of 800 °C. CONCLUSION: This is the first time that sintering has been used to facilitate aromatization of supported Pt and Pt‐Re catalysts. A superior selectivity behaviour associated with bi‐metallic Pt catalysts is established. It was found that no reaction occurred on Pt catalyst after sintering at 800 °C whereas sintering Pt‐Re at 800 °C promoted aromatization solely to toluene. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Hydrogen generation from hydrolysis of alkaline sodium borohydride solution using Pt/C catalyst

Hydrogen generation from catalytic hydrolysis of aqueous NaOH-stabilized sodium borohydride solutions was investigated using platinum catalysts dispersed on active carbon, carbon black, and alumina supports. The Pt/C catalyst shows high catalytic activity due to the large BET surface area of active carbon support. The investigations on the effects of Pt loading and calcination temperature on the performance of Pt/C catalyst were also performed. After filtration from the reaction medium and rinsing with water, the used catalyst was re-evaluated and almost the same catalytic activities as fresh catalyst were obtained during several cycles.     

四氯化碳催化加氢脱氯反应研究

单金属Pt催化剂在四氯化碳催化加氢反应中,载体和还原温度对反应性能影响较大,Pt/Al2O3显示出很高的对四氯化碳的转化率和对氯仿的选择性,同时表现出较高稳定性。而Pt/(Al2O3-TiO2)在对四氯化碳的转化率上略低于Pt/Al2O3,但显示出对四氯乙烯较高的选择性和催化剂稳定性。还原温度也是影响Pt催化剂性能的一个重要因素,高温还原可有效增大金属催化剂的晶粒,而大的晶粒缺电子程度要小于小晶粒,与*CCl3形成的键较弱有利于生成氯仿。同样,高温还原大的晶粒与表面碳和氯形成的键也弱于小晶粒,有利于抑制催化剂表面积炭和氯中毒,提高催化剂的稳定性。而加入甲醇作为稀释剂时,改变了产物的分布,降低氯仿的选择性,提高四氯乙烯的选择性。     

The construction of nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon–TiO2 composite to improve the electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation

The exploration of advanced catalyst supports is a promising route to obtain electrocatalysts with high activity and durability. Herein, the nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon/TiO₂ composite was fabricated and explored as support for the Pt catalyst. The composite support was constructed by carbonization of polypyrrole/TiO₂ using cobalt nitrate and nickel nitrate as graphitizing catalysts. The resulting catalyst shows enhanced electrocatalytic performance for methanol electrooxidation compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The enhancement can be ascribed to combinatory effect of N-doped graphitized carbon and TiO₂, in which the tolerance to CO-poisoning and the intrinsic kinetics of methanol oxidation reaction were simultaneously improved by the bifunctional effect and the modification of the electronic structure. As a result, the as-developed nitrogen-doped graphitized carbon/TiO₂ composite present attractive advantages for the application in fuel cell electrocatalyst.