Investigation of the electrochemical behavior of heat-treated carbon blacks and Pt/C catalysts

Abstract

In this paper we report the electrochemical behavior of heat-treated carbon blacks and Pt/C catalysts. Cyclic voltammetry indicates that the heat-treated carbon black as catalyst support does not improve the Pt/C catalyst's activity for methanol oxidation. An XPS study of a Pt-loaded carbon black indicates that the amounts of oxidized platinum and oxygen-functional groups on catalysts are decreased when the platinum particles are deposited on the heat-treated carbon surface. These changes in the surface and crystalline structural properties of carbon materials lead to the catalytic activity change in methanol electro-oxidation.