Ethanol Electrooxidation by Plurimetallic Pt-Based Electrocatalysts Prepared by Microwave Assisted Heating

The direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) has received increasing attention once the complete ethanol oxidation is difficult to accomplish and, so far, no catalyst has efficiently cleaved the C-C bond. This paper reports on electrocatalysts supported on carbon containing 40 wt% metal loading of Pt, Ru, Ni, and Sn prepared by microwave-assisted heating. The electrocatalysts displayed homogeneously distributed particles ranging from 3 to 5 mm. The cyclic voltammetric and chronoamperometric curves recorded in the presence and absence of ethanol in acid medium exhibited the characteristic transition metal electrocatalyst profile. Acetic acid and acetaldehyde were the major products after 12 h of electrolysis. The best electrocatalyst in a single Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells (DEFC) was Pt75Sn13Ru11Ni1/C (55 mW cm−2). This value denoted that the catalyst performed surprisingly well at relatively low temperature (80°C).