PtRuP nanoparticles supported on mesoporous carbon thin film as highly active anode materials for direct methanol fuel cell

PtRu nanocatalyst supported on mesoporous carbon thin film (TFC) with incorporation of the non-metallic phosphorus is explored as an anodic catalytic material for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The catalyst 20 wt.% PtRuP0.1/TFC gives a very high current density in the electrochemical oxidation of methanol, which is much enhanced than that of the PtRu/TFC without P loading and two times higher compared to a commercial PtRu/XC-72 catalyst. XPS and EXAFS analysis of the catalysts show that phosphorus helps to reduce the size of PtRu nanoalloy by acting as a surface protecting agent to the nanoparticles and it does not alter the electronic structure of PtRu. The PtRuP nanocatalyst with a particle size of 3 nm was found to have the best reactivity and catalytic stability.