Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells (DEFCs) have received great attention in recent years due to the growing need of renewable energy sources with low environmental impact. This technology has the potential to be applied in portable electronic devices, biosensors, transport sector and stationary electricity sources [1,2]. However, its widespread commercialization has not been reached, essentially due to the high cost of the electrode catalysts and low durability [3,4]. Obtaining highly electro-active and durable catalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) represents still a challenging target. In this work, a Cu@Pt/C electrocatalyst was synthesized using a chemical reduction route obtaining nanoparticles with a semi-spherical morphology and an average size of 8 nm, supported on carbon black (Vulcan). The crystallographic characterization by X-ray diffraction showed a certain degree of Pt-Cu alloying; whereas, a Pt surface enrichment was envisaged from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy using sputtering technique. The electrocatalytic activity of the Cu@Pt/C electrocatalyst for the electro-oxidation of ethanol in alkaline media was investigated. A 4-5 fold increase of the peak current density and a negative shift of the potential was recorded in half-cell experiments for the core-shell bimetallic catalyst compared to a commercial Pt/C. Additionally, the Cu@Pt/C electrocatalyst was used as anode in an anion-exchange-membrane direct ethanol fuel cell (AEM-DEFC) exhibiting about 2-fold higher power density than the benchmark Pt/C. References: 1)Badwal, S. P. S.; Giddey, S.; Kulkarni, A.; Goel, J.; Basu, S., Appl. Energy 145, 80-103 (2015). 2)Chen, Y.; Bellini, M.; Bevilacqua, M.; Fornasiero, P.; Lavacchi, A.; Miller, H. A.; Wang, L.; Vizza, F., ChemSusChem 8, 524-533 (2015). 3)Akhairi, M. A. F.; Kamarudin, S. K., Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 41, 4214-4228 (2016). 4)Lamy, C.; Coutanceau, C., RSC Publishing, , 254 (2013).
Electro-oxidation of ethanol in an alkaline direct alcohol fuel cell using Cu@Pt/C electrocatalyst
V Baglio
2016
Abstract
Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells (DEFCs) have received great attention in recent years due to the growing need of renewable energy sources with low environmental impact. This technology has the potential to be applied in portable electronic devices, biosensors, transport sector and stationary electricity sources [1,2]. However, its widespread commercialization has not been reached, essentially due to the high cost of the electrode catalysts and low durability [3,4]. Obtaining highly electro-active and durable catalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) represents still a challenging target. In this work, a Cu@Pt/C electrocatalyst was synthesized using a chemical reduction route obtaining nanoparticles with a semi-spherical morphology and an average size of 8 nm, supported on carbon black (Vulcan). The crystallographic characterization by X-ray diffraction showed a certain degree of Pt-Cu alloying; whereas, a Pt surface enrichment was envisaged from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy using sputtering technique. The electrocatalytic activity of the Cu@Pt/C electrocatalyst for the electro-oxidation of ethanol in alkaline media was investigated. A 4-5 fold increase of the peak current density and a negative shift of the potential was recorded in half-cell experiments for the core-shell bimetallic catalyst compared to a commercial Pt/C. Additionally, the Cu@Pt/C electrocatalyst was used as anode in an anion-exchange-membrane direct ethanol fuel cell (AEM-DEFC) exhibiting about 2-fold higher power density than the benchmark Pt/C. References: 1)Badwal, S. P. S.; Giddey, S.; Kulkarni, A.; Goel, J.; Basu, S., Appl. Energy 145, 80-103 (2015). 2)Chen, Y.; Bellini, M.; Bevilacqua, M.; Fornasiero, P.; Lavacchi, A.; Miller, H. A.; Wang, L.; Vizza, F., ChemSusChem 8, 524-533 (2015). 3)Akhairi, M. A. F.; Kamarudin, S. K., Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 41, 4214-4228 (2016). 4)Lamy, C.; Coutanceau, C., RSC Publishing, , 254 (2013).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
