Electro-oxidation of methanol at the different carbon materials supported Pt nano-particles

Single-wall carbon nano-tubes (SWNTs), multi-wall carbon nano-tubes (MWNTs) and Vulcan XC-72 carbon (XC-72) are used as supporting carbon materials to prepare Pt/XC-72, Pt/SWNTs and Pt/MWNTs catalysts in tetrahydrofuran/water/ethanol mixture solution. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements demonstrate that the type of supporting carbon material affects significantly the morphology and the electronic structure of supported Pt nano-particles (NPs). Electrochemical measurements indicate that the Pt/SWNTs catalyst exhibited the highest current density, the lowest onset oxidation potential and the best stability for methanol electro-oxidation among the three samples, indicating SWNTs are an ideal anode catalyst supporting material for the practical application of direct methanol fuel cells.