A composite anode was developed to increase the performance of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). High surface area IrO2 nanopowder was synthesized by a sulfite complex method and added to a 50% PtRu/C catalyst prepared by the same procedure. A catalytic ink, composed of PtRu/C catalyst, IrO2 and Nafion ionomer, was deposited on a carbon-cloth-based backing layer and used as composite anode in a DMFC. A significantly higher performance was recorded for the composite electrode-based MEA compared to a bare one, at 60 degrees C and 90 degrees C. confirming that the electrocatalytic activity is related to the characteristics of water displacement of IrO2 additive, which acts as a co-catalyst for this reaction. The improvement was significantly higher by using 5 M methanol solution as the fuel. These results evidence that a multifunctional catalyst can operate better than PtRu for methanol oxidation since this multi-step process requires different functionalities to speed up the reaction rate. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Composite anode electrode based on iridium oxide promoter for direct methanol fuel cells
Baglio V;Sebastian D;D'Urso C;Stassi A;
2014
Abstract
A composite anode was developed to increase the performance of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). High surface area IrO2 nanopowder was synthesized by a sulfite complex method and added to a 50% PtRu/C catalyst prepared by the same procedure. A catalytic ink, composed of PtRu/C catalyst, IrO2 and Nafion ionomer, was deposited on a carbon-cloth-based backing layer and used as composite anode in a DMFC. A significantly higher performance was recorded for the composite electrode-based MEA compared to a bare one, at 60 degrees C and 90 degrees C. confirming that the electrocatalytic activity is related to the characteristics of water displacement of IrO2 additive, which acts as a co-catalyst for this reaction. The improvement was significantly higher by using 5 M methanol solution as the fuel. These results evidence that a multifunctional catalyst can operate better than PtRu for methanol oxidation since this multi-step process requires different functionalities to speed up the reaction rate. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
