Monodisperse PtRu nanoalloy on carbon as a high-performance DMFC catalyst

Monodisperse, phase-pure PtRu colloidal nanoalloy have been synthesized by the coreduction of Pt(acac)2platinum and Ru(Acac)3 (acac-acetylacetonate) by 1,2-hexadecanediol as a reducing agent in octyl ether in the presence of oleylamine and oleic acid as surfactants. The PtRu/Vc catalyst was generated by impregnation on the Vulvan carbon support, and the surfactant was removed by acetic acid treatment. These carbon-supported Pt-Ru catalyst exhibits a excellent catalytic activity for methanol oxidation. The high-quality of these catalyst is due to nanosize and monodispersity of the catalyst particles and excellent dispersion of the catalysts on the carbon support by colloidal impregnation and mild activation of the catalyst. These catalysts are expected to be promising materials for the anode, where methanol is catalytically oxidized in the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) to optimize DMFC performance.