Electrochemical instability of Pt nanoparticles probed by formic acid oxidation

Synthesis, Characterization and CO Tolerance Evaluation in PEMFCs of Pt2RuMo Electrocatalysts

Pt2RuMo/C catalysts were synthesized by the modified polyol method in the presence and absence of Li(C2H5)3BH (LBH), annealed at 600 °C under H2 atmosphere to improve the reduction of Pt and Ru to provide stronger interactions between Mo and another metals. LBH affected the physico-chemical characteristics of Pt2RuMo, that is, in the presence of LBH an increment of Mo(IV) amount and a decrease in the PtRu alloying degree were observed. The catalytic activity for hydrogen oxidation in the presence and absence of CO (CO tolerance) of the Pt2RuMo/C catalysts as anodes in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) was compared to that of a commercial PtRu/C catalyst. The results indicated that the CO tolerance increased with an increase in Mo(IV) content, but the stability increased with an increment of the amount of Ru oxides in the catalysts.