Bimetallic Pt–Ru nanowire network for anode material in a direct-methanol fuel cell

A new bimetallic nanostructured Pt–Ru material is synthesized in an SBA-15 nanoreactor and compared with commercial Pt–Ru black (Johnson Matthey). Transmission electron microscopic and X-ray diffraction studies of the synthesized material show that, as with a network structure, the Pt–Ru nanowires are interconnected via smaller ones. The catalytic activity (measured in cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments) for methanol electro-oxidation on the material is lower than that for commercial Pt–Ru black at potentials below 550 mV versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. By contrast, a direct-methanol fuel cell (DMFC) in which the nanostructured material is used as an anode material shows higher performance than with Pt–Ru black, because the network structure leads to an effective mass transfer in the membrane–electrode assembly.