The influence of a new fabrication procedure on the catalytic activity of ruthenium-selenium catalysts |
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Authors: | H. Cheng W. Yuan K. Scott |
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Affiliation: | School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced Materials, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK |
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Abstract: | A new procedure has been introduced to enhance catalytic activity of ruthenium-selenium electro-catalysts for oxygen reduction, in which materials are treated under hydrogen atmosphere at elevated temperatures. The characterisation using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy or energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy exhibited that the treatment at 400 °C made catalysts denser while their porous nature remained, led to a good degree of crystallinity and an optimum Se:Ru ratio. The half cell test confirms feasibility of the new procedure; the catalyst treated at 400 °C gave the highest reduction current (55.9 mA cm−2 at −0.4 V) and a low methanol oxidation effect coefficient (3.8%). The direct methanol fuel cell with the RuSe 400 °C cathode catalyst (2 mg RuSe cm−2) generated a power density of 33.8 mW cm−2 using 2 M methanol and 2 bar oxygen at 90 °C. The new procedure produced the catalysts with low decay rates. The best sample was compared to the Pt and to the reported ruthenium-selenium catalyst. Possible reasons for the observations are discussed. |
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Keywords: | Electrocatalysis Direct methanol fuel cell Oxygen reduction reaction Ruthenium-selenium chalcogenides Methanol tolerant cathode materials |
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