An approach for synthesizing PtRu/MWCNT nanocomposite for methanol electro-oxidation

A facile method to prepare PtRu/MWCNT nanocomposite with excellent electrocatalytic properties was reported in here. Highly dispersed bimetallic PtRu alloy catalysts have been supported on the ultrasonically treated MWCNTs by a rapid ultrasound induced HCHO reduction technique. The microstructure and nature of the resulting PtRu/MWCNT nanocomposite were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results demonstrated that the highly dispersed bimetallic PtRu alloy could be formed on the MWCNTs surface within 5 min at ambient temperature. The obtained PtRu/MWCNT electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity to methanol. The peak current of the 500th scan of PtRu-1 and E-TEK catalyst is about 75% and 70%, respectively, of that of the first scan. By contrast, for PtRu/MWCNT nanocomposite, after 500-cycle scans, its peak current still remains about 85%. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.