Characterization and performance evaluation of Pt[sbnd]Ru/C[sbnd]TiO2 anode electrocatalyst for DMFC applications

Abstract

In this study, the effect of introduction of titania (TiO2) material into Pt[sbnd]Ru/C anode electrocatalyst on the performance of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) was investigated. TiO2 materials were first synthesized applying a sol–gel method and then incorporated directly into commercial Pt[sbnd]Ru/C anode electrocatalyst with different TiO2 weight ratios (5, 15, and 25 wt.%) to improve the performance of the DMFC. For comparison, the anode electrocatalysts with the same TiO2 weight ratios were also prepared using commercial TiO2 materials. The performance tests of the DMFCs based on these composite anode electrocatalysts were conducted and their performances were also compared to that of a DMFC based on a traditional anode electrocatalyst (Pt[sbnd]Ru/C) under various operating conditions. In addition, 4 h short-term stability tests were conducted for all the manufactured DMFCs. The highest power densities were found as 705.12 W/m2 and 709.32 W/m2 at 80 °C and 1 M for the DMFCs based on Pt[sbnd]Ru/C[sbnd]TiO2 anode electrocatalysts containing 5 wt.% of commercial and in-house TiO2, respectively. The results of the short-term stability tests showed that introduction of 5 wt.% of commercial TiO2 into commercial Pt[sbnd]Ru/C anode electrocatalyst improved its stability characteristics significantly.