Electrochemical Oxidation of Methanol at Chemically Prepared Platinum‐Ruthenium Alloy Electrodes

Abstract
Chemically prepared Pt‐Ru alloy catalysts were investigated to study the effects of temperature, Pt loading, and heat‐treatment on the kinetics of methanol oxidation in acid electrolyte. The maximum current density obtained for the Pt‐Ru catalyst, dispersed on Vulcan XC‐72R carbon, was about 600 mA/cm2 at 60°C and a Pt loading of 2.05 mg/cm2. The maximum catalytic shift due to the Ru modification of Pt was 200 mV at a current density of 160 mA/cm2. The activation energy for methanol oxidation is similar for both Pt and Pt‐Ru. The Ru composition of the electrode stabilized at higher levels when the electrode was heat‐treated. The oxidation current per mg of Pt decreased with an increase in the Pt loading. A phenomenological analysis of the catalytic shift for methanol oxidation at Pt‐Ru electrodes favored the bifunctional catalyst model over models based on geometric and electronic factors.

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