A comparative study on electrocatalytic performance of PtAu/C and PtRu/C nanoparticles for methanol oxidation reaction

We present a comparative study on the electrocatalytic performance of PtRu/C and PtAu/C nanoparticles for methanol oxidation reaction. The PtRu/C nanoparticles are commercially available, while the PtAu/C nanoparticles were prepared using the conventional sodium borohydride reduction method. The particle size, surface morphology, and crystallinity of the two samples were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrocatalytic activity for MOR and the long-term durability of the PtAu/C and PtRu/C were carefully investigated. The results showed that the PtAu/C exhibited much higher activity for MOR and improved long-term durability in comparison with the PtRu/C. The catalysts before and after accelerated potential cycling test (APCT) were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that Ru dissolved and escaped completely from the electrode meanwhile the majority of Au remained after APCT.