Electro-oxidation of Methanol on Pt Particles Dispersed on RuO[sub 2] Nanorods

Abstract

The successful attachment of 1-3 nm Pt nanoparticles to the surface of amine-functional RuO2 nanorods through a simple, two-step chemically controlled procedure is reported here. The nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction. TEM images showed that the monodispersed Pt nanoparticles were highly stable against thermal treatment. The electro-oxidation of methanol in sulfuric acidic solution was studied on RuO2-supported Pt nanoparticles by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. All of the electrochemical results show that RuO 2/Pt catalysts exhibit high activity for methanol oxidation that results from the high electroactive surface area of Pt nanoparticles and the effect of RuO2. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using metal oxide nanorods in certain fuel cell applications. © 2006 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.