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Porous Core‐Shell Platinum‐Silver Nanocatalyst for the Electrooxidation of Methanol
Author(s) -
Singh Baljit,
Seddon Brian,
Dempsey Eithne,
Redington Wynette,
Dickinson Calum
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
electroanalysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1521-4109
pISSN - 1040-0397
DOI - 10.1002/elan.201400434
Subject(s) - materials science , platinum , catalysis , bimetallic strip , nanomaterials , methanol , thermogravimetric analysis , chemical engineering , alloy , nanoparticle , electrochemistry , sulfuric acid , inorganic chemistry , nanotechnology , metallurgy , electrode , chemistry , metal , organic chemistry , engineering
A new class of platinum‐silver nanomaterial for the catalytic electrooxidation of methanol is considered here. The material was synthesised on a carbon nanochips platform via a combination of chemical reduction to form a particulate bimetallic alloy (Pt 2 Ag 1 /f‐CNC) and an anodic‐etching process to form a unique porous core‐shell platinum‐silver nanoparticle ( np ‐Pt 2 Ag 1 /f‐CNC). Morphology, structural and compositional characterisations of the alloy were performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometry (EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Data confirms average particle size of 2.07 nm (median 1.73 nm). The alloy nature of the nanoparticle was confirmed by XRD and TEM/EDX analysis. The np ‐Pt 2 Ag 1 /f‐CNC material was examined in electrochemical studies as a catalyst for the oxidation of methanol in sulfuric acid electrolyte. Catalytic efficiency is reported in terms of oxidation current density, 134.8 mA mg −1 (platinum mass) and a current ratio, I f / I b =0.86. The electrochemical data is indicative of high catalytic rates for methanol conversion, as well as the effectiveness of porous core‐shell platinum‐silver particles to resist carbon monoxide poisoning. The work demonstrates improved long‐term catalytic performance of a novel nanomaterial electrode offering promising energy applications.