Mesocarbon microbeads supported Pt-Ru catalysts for electrochemical oxidation of methanol

The effects of mesocarbon microbeads support for platinum-ruthenium (Pt-Ru) catalysts on anode performance of the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) were investigated. The Pt-Ru catalyst with mesocarbon microbeads as support shows lower polarization characteristics than that with carbon black as support. The SEM of the cross-section of the catalyst layer with mesocarbon microbeads as support shows that there exist large pores and channels that are favorite for mass transfer in electrode reaction region. The effects of the cell operation temperature and the methanol concentration on the polarization curves of the anode electrode were also investigated.