Synergistic and Durable Pt-WC Catalyst for Methanol Electro-Oxidation in Ionic Liquid Aqueous Solution

Abstract

Tungsten carbide (WC) has been widely studied as a non-noble metal catalyst due to its surface electron structure that is similar to that of Pt. However, the synergistic effect between Pt and WC is still a controversial issue for the methanol electro-oxidation reaction (MOR). Herein, we demonstrate that the hydrogen overflow effect and bifunctional mechanism are responsible for the outstanding electrochemical properties of Pt-WC/C catalyst. Moreover, benefiting from the unique double layer structure of ionic liquids (ILs), the Pt-WC/C catalyst exhibits an excellent cycling life toward MOR. This study may offer new insights for the development of WC and ionic liquids in the field of fuel cells.