Platinum nanoparticles supported on carbon-based materials as electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction

The high amount of gases emitted by burning fossil fuels has caused many environmental problems and is related to several diseases that significantly affect the quality of life of people. Therefore, new alternatives to energy generation that are not so aggressive to the environment are necessary. An alternative is the fuel cell which is an electrochemical energy conversion device that operates by means of oxidation, where hydrogen reacts with oxygen to form water and release electrons. The great advantage of this method is that it doesn't involve any combustion, which eliminates the problem of the emission of gases, and results in a relatively efficient energy and that doesn't generate any harmful emission. However, in order to operate efficiently, the use of an electrocatalyst is required. Most of these electrocatalysts are made of platinum, as it has shown great catalytic activity, but is too expensive and also contaminates rapidly by the absorption of carbon monoxide, which bind to the metal and inhibit its catalytic action. Five samples of platinum and nickel electrocatalysts supported on different carbon-based materials were investigated in alkaline and acidic solutions. The physical and electrochemical characterization of the electrocatalysts were performed by X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. In the results by cyclic voltammetry, it was observed that in the methanol solution, the platinum metal in graphene shows good electrocatalytic properties for the oxidation of methanol.