Performance of a fuel cell coupled with Pt-Te nanowires for the removal of the organic matter in landfill leachate

Landfill leachate is a type of complex organic wastewater, which is prone to cause serious negative impacts on the ecological environment and human health. Using fuel cells to remove the organic matter in landfill leachate is an efficient and feasible approach. The fuel cells are primarily limited by the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with sluggish kinetics, which requires catalysts with high electrochemical properties to improve ORR activity. Herein, Pt-Te nanowires (NWs) with high activity and durability were synthesized. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) images indicated that Pt nanoparticles were uniformly decorated in the Te nanowires to form active sites. The electrochemical activities of the catalysts were investigated using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) system. Compared with Pt/C and pure Te NWs catalysts, the Pt-Te NWs exhibited a stronger reduction peak and higher current density for ORR. Additionally, the fuel cell coupled with Pt-Te NWs possessed a high performance on the removal of the organic matter.