Testing of carbon supported Pd–Pt electrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation in direct methanol fuel cells

In the present work, a detailed characterization of the electrochemical behavior of carbon supported Pd–Pt electrocatalysts toward CO and methanol electrooxidation in direct methanol fuel cells is reported. Technical electrodes containing an ionomer in their catalyst layer were prepared for this purpose. CO and methanol electrooxidation reactions were used as test reactions to compare the electrocatalytic behavior of bimetallic supported nanoparticles in acidic liquid electrolyte and in solid polymer electrolyte (real fuel cell operating conditions). Experimental results in both environments are consistent and show that the electrochemical behavior of carbon supported Pd–Pt depends on their composition, giving the best performance in direct methanol single fuel cell with a Pd:Pt atomic ratio of 25:75 in the catalyst.