Direct methanol fuel cell catalysts with controllable interface

Abstract

This thesis is focused on producing model anode electrocatalysts for room temperature electrooxidation of methanol to prove the existence of Pt-oxophilic metal pair sites and to delineate their contributions to methanol eletrooxidation by bifunctional catalysis. Model bimetallic and multi-component catalysts with customizable and easily identifiable Pt-oxophilic metal interfaces were produced by templated electrodeposition as segmented nanorods consisting of an alternating sequence of Pt and the oxophilic metal(s); and as a macroporous film of the oxophilic metal on Pt. The model catalysts were comprehensively characterized for morphology, overall composition, distribution of the constituent metals, metal oxidation states, crystal structures; and the number of bimetallic interfaces. The catalytic activities and CO tolerance of the model catalysts in methanol electrooxidation were measured by voltammetry and chronoamperometry in laboratory half cells simulating the room temperature operation of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) anode under acidic conditions.