Pt-Pd Bimetallic Alloy Nanoelectrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Study of the Effect of composition on electrocatalysis

The increasing concern about environmental pollution on the use of fossil fuel demands for a green source of sustainable energy. Among the available alternative energy sources fuel cells have emerged as a promising candidate during the last two decades. The high theoretical energy efficiency provides hope for the fabrication of fuel cell devices for practical application. The market for the small organic molecule (SOM) based fuel cell is raising rapidly as it can be operated at room temperature and it does not require pre-treatment of fuel. Pt and Pt-based noble metals are being used as the efficient electrocatalyst for fuel cell electrode. However, the major concerns with Pt-based catalyst are (i) slow electron transfer kinetics for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at cathode, (ii) catalyst poisoning during the anode reaction due to the adsorption of CO-like intermediates. The main barrier for the commercialization of fuel cell is its high price. Much attention is paid for the development of alternative catalyst. In our laboratory the multiwall carbon nanotubes (MCNTs) were endo and exohedrally grafted with Pt and Pt-Pd bimetallic electrocatalysts for fuel cell applications.