Experimental and density functional theory studies on PtPb/C bimetallic electrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation reaction in alkaline media

Abstract: Carbon-supported bimetallic Pt m Pb1 (m =1, 2, 3) electrocatalysts with different Pt/Pb atomic ratios were synthesized by a polyol method. The X-ray diffraction results reveal that a PtPb alloy formed in the Pt m Pb1/C electrocatalysts. TEM images show that the PtPb nanoparticles distribute uniformly on the carbon support, and are about 4–5nm in size. The Pt m Pb1/C bimetallic catalysts show superior activities toward methanol electrooxidation reaction (MOR) than the Pt/C in alkaline media. Both CO stripping measurements and density functional theory studies reveal that CO adsorption decreased significantly on the Pt m Pb1/C bimetallic catalysts compared with on pure Pt, which may offer an explanation for the enhanced MOR activity of the Pt m Pb1/C bimetallic catalysts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]